What is the nature of forces existing between ions in ionic bond?
Answers
The nature of forces existing between ions in an ionic bond is a strong electrostatic force of attraction.
• Ionic bonds are made of oppositely charged ions, viz, cations and anions.
• Opposite charges attract each other. Since the ions in an ionic bond are opposite in charge, there is a force of attraction acting between them.
• The electrostatic force of attraction is given by the formula, F = (k.q1.q2) / r²
where F is the electrostatic force,
k is the constant of proportionality,
q1 and q2 are the two charges between which the electrostatic force is acting,
and r is the distance between q1 and q2.
• Therefore, from the formula, the electrostatic force of attraction is inversely proportional to the distance between two charges.
• Since in an ionic bond, the ions are placed tightly close to each other, the electrostatic force of attraction is very strong.