Make a compare and contrast list of ionic crystals and metallic crystals.
Answers
Ionic Bonding
Ionic bonding occurs when elements either gain or lose valence electrons in order to become more stable. Elements such as sodium will usually lose an electron, resulting in a positively charged atom, while elements like chlorine usually gain an electron which allows the atom to become negatively charged. These atoms readily form a compound due to the strong electrical attraction.
Ionic Crystals
Ionic crystals have ions with alternating electric charges. fleur de sel, white sea salt crystal, white background image by Oliver Mohr from Fotolia.com
Ionic crystals usually form between elements from Groups 1 and 2 when combined with elements from Groups 16 and 17 on the periodic chart. Bonding is between the positive and negative charges of individual atoms with the resulting crystals consisting of positive and negative ions arranged in an alternating pattern of charges. This arrangement gives ionic crystals certain properties; in general they tend to have high melting points and are good insulators. They also are hard and brittle.