Question

gizmo warm - up
just like students sharing markers, atoms sometimes share or swap electrons. by doing this, atoms form bonds. the ionic bonds gizmo allows you to explore how ionic bonds form.
to begin, check that sodium (na) and chlorine (cl) are selected from the menus at right. click play ( ) to see electrons orbiting the nucleus of each atom. (note: these atom models are simplified and not meant to be realistic.)

1. each atom consists of a central nucleus and several shells that contain electrons. the outermost electrons are called valence electrons.

how many valence electrons does each atom have? sodium: 1 chlorine: 7

1. click pause ( ). elements can be classified as metals and nonmetals. metals do not hold on to their valence electrons very tightly, while nonmetals hold their electrons tightly. ionization energy is a measure of how tightly the valence electrons are held.

a. try pulling an electron away from each atom. based on this experiment, which atom is a metal? which is a nonmetal?
b. try moving an electron from the metal to the nonmetal. what happens?

Explanation:

• Part A:
• Metals do not hold valence electrons tightly. Sodium (\(Na\)) has 1 valence electron and is easier to lose an electron (as per the property of metals not holding valence electrons tightly). Chlorine (\(Cl\)) has 7 valence electrons and holds electrons tightly (property of non - metals). So, sodium is a metal and chlorine is a non - metal.
• Part B:
• When an electron is moved from sodium (metal) to chlorine (non - metal), sodium becomes a positively charged ion (\(Na^{+}\)) and chlorine becomes a negatively charged ion (\(Cl^{-}\)). Oppositely charged ions attract each other, and an ionic bond is formed between them.

Answer:

A. Sodium (\(Na\)) is a metal. Chlorine (\(Cl\)) is a non - metal.
B. Sodium becomes \(Na^{+}\), chlorine becomes \(Cl^{-}\), and an ionic bond is formed between them.