Magnesium oxide is a white solid with a high melting point. Explain how the ions are held together in solid magnesium oxide.
Answers
Answer:
The bond between magnesium and oxygen is ionic bond which has a high force of attraction. Hence the magnesium oxide has a high melting point.
An ionic bond is an attraction between oppositely charged ions. Ionic bonds are strong and substantial energy is required to break them. For example, when magnesium reacts with oxygen to form magnesium oxide, the magnesium atom loses two electrons to form the Mg2+ cation, which has electronic configuration 2,8. The ionic bond between ions results from the electrostatic attraction of opposite charges. It takes a lot of energy to overcome the strong electrostatic forces of attraction between oppositely charged ions, so ionic compounds have high melting and boiling points. Magnesium oxide is made from ions with two charges (Mg 2+ and O 2-) and so has a much higher melting point of 2852°C.