Ionic compound

In chemistry, an ionic compound is a chemical compound in which ions are held together in a lattice structure by ionic bonds. To form an ionic compound, there needs to be at least one metal and one non-metal. The metal element is usually the positive charge and the non-metal element is a negative charge.

Related Topics:
Chemistry - Chemical compound - Ion - Ionic bond

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Ions can be single atoms, as in common table salt sodium chloride, or more complex groups such as calcium carbonate. But to be considered ions, they must carry a positive or negative charge due to an imbalance in the ratio of protons to electrons.

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Thus, in an ionic bond, one 'bonder' must have a positive charge and the other a negative one. By sticking to each other, they resolve, or partially resolve, their separate charge imbalances. Positive to positive and negative to negative ionic bonds do not occur (for a real world analogy, experiment with a pair of bar magnets.)

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Some properties of ionic compounds are high melting and boiling points and good conductivity when molten or in solution. Ionic compounds are solids at room temperature and will usually form crystals.

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