2019
Vocabulary: Ionic Bonds
Vocabulary
Chemical family – a vertical column in the periodic table of elements.
oElements in the same family have the same number of valence electrons and
have similar chemical properties.
Electron affinity – the tendency of an atom to attract electrons.
oElectron affinity is a measure of the energy required to remove an electron from
the atom. This value is also called ionization energy.
oNonmetals are characterized by a high electron affinity, while metals are
characterized by a low electron affinity.
Ion – an electrically charged atom that has gained or lost one or more electrons.
oAn atom with more protons than electrons is a positively charged ion, or cation.
oAn atom with more electrons than protons is a negatively charged ion, or anion.
oIn an element symbol, the electric charge is shown at the upper right.
Ionic bond – a bond formed by the attraction between two oppositely charged ions.
oPositively charged ions attract negatively charged ions and vice versa.
oPositively charged ions repel positively charged ions.
oNegatively charged ions repel negatively charged ions.
Metal – an element that is malleable and usually conducts heat and electricity well.
oMetal atoms tend to lose electrons when forming chemical bonds.
Nonmetal – an element that is generally a poor conductor of heat and electricity.
oNonmetal atoms tend to gain or share electrons when forming chemical bonds.
oMost nonmetals are gases at room temperature.
Octet rule – a rule of thumb that states that atoms are most stable when surrounded by
eight valence electrons.
oMetals lose valence electrons to obtain a stable configuration.
oNonmetals gain or share electrons to obtain a stable configuration.
oElements with five or fewer electrons are exceptions to the octet rule because
they become stable when they have two valence electrons.
Shell – a particular region where electrons can orbit the nucleus of an atom.
Valence electron – an electron in the outermost shell of an atom.