Question

question 6 (1 point)
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which of the following statements is true regarding ionic compounds?
ionic compounds are composed of only cations.
ionic compounds are composed of cations and anions in a fixed ratio.
ionic compounds always contain a 1:1 ratio of a cation to anion.
ionic compounds are a repeating array of neutral atoms.
ionic compounds are discrete molecules.

Explanation:

Ionic compounds are made up of cations (positively - charged ions) and anions (negatively - charged ions). The overall charge of an ionic compound is zero, so the cations and anions must combine in a fixed ratio. For example, in NaCl (sodium chloride), there is a 1:1 ratio of \(Na^{+}\) (cation) and \(Cl^{-}\) (anion), but in \(MgCl_{2}\) (magnesium chloride), there is a 1:2 ratio of \(Mg^{2 +}\) (cation) and \(Cl^{-}\) (anion).

• Ionic compounds are not composed of only cations (they need anions to balance the charge), so the first option is wrong.
• They do not always have a 1:1 ratio (as shown by \(MgCl_{2}\)), so the third option is wrong.
• Ionic compounds are made of ions (not neutral atoms), so the fourth option is wrong.
• Ionic compounds form a lattice structure (not discrete molecules like covalent compounds), so the fifth option is wrong.

Answer:

Ionic compounds are composed of cations and anions in a fixed ratio.