Definition

1. Noun:
   • A type of chemical bond: An ionic bond is a chemical bond formed through the electrostatic attraction between oppositely charged ions. It is created when one atom transfers one or more electrons completely to another atom.
   • Electron transfer bond: This bond results from the complete transfer of valence electron(s) from a metal atom (which becomes a positively charged cation) to a non-metal atom (which becomes a negatively charged anion).

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • Table salt, or sodium chloride, is held together by a strong ionic bond.
  • The ionic bond between calcium and chlorine forms the compound calcium chloride.
  • In an ionic bond, the resulting ions are held together by strong electrostatic forces.

Advanced Usage

• "Form an ionic bond": Describes the process of ionic bond creation.
  • Sodium and fluorine atoms form an ionic bond to create sodium fluoride.
• "Ionic bond strength": Refers to the energy required to break the bond.
  • The ionic bond strength in magnesium oxide is very high due to the charges on the ions.

Variants and Related Words

• Ionic compound (n): A chemical compound composed of ions held together by ionic bonds.
  • Sodium chloride is a classic example of an ionic compound.
• Electrovalent bond (n): A synonym for ionic bond, emphasizing the electrical nature of the bond.
  • An electrovalent bond is another term for an ionic bond.

Synonyms

• Electrovalent bond: A direct synonym highlighting the bond's formation via electron transfer and resulting electrical charges.
• Polar bond (Note: This is a less precise synonym, as "polar" often describes covalent bonds with uneven electron sharing, not complete transfer. Ionic bonds are the extreme case of polarity.)

Related Phrases and Concepts

• Ionic bonding (n): The general process or phenomenon of forming ionic bonds.
  • Ionic bonding is common between metals and nonmetals.
• Lattice energy (n): The energy released when one mole of an ionic solid is formed from its gaseous ions; a measure of ionic bond strength.
  • The high lattice energy indicates very strong ionic bonds in the crystal.

Noun

1. a chemical bond in which one atom loses an electron to form a positive ion and the other atom gains an electron to form a negative ion