Which statement correctly describes ionic bonding?

Which statement correctly describes ionic bonding?

• A. Covalent bonding occurs between a metal and a nonmetal.
• B. Ionic bonding occurs between a metal and a nonmetal, with electron transfer.
• C. Ionic bonds involve sharing electrons between two nonmetals.
• D. Hydrogen bonds are formed by attraction to a lone pair.

Answer: (B)

Ionic bonding occurs when a metal donates electrons to a nonmetal, producing positively charged cations and negatively charged anions. The electrostatic attraction between these oppositely charged ions holds the compound together in a solid lattice. This description matches the statement because it specifically involves a metal–nonmetal pair and an electron transfer that creates ions. Think of it this way: metals tend to lose electrons, nonmetals tend to gain them, and the resulting ions are pulled together by Coulombic forces. This is different from covalent bonding, which involves sharing electrons and typically occurs between two nonmetals. An ionic bond is not about sharing electrons between two nonmetals. Hydrogen bonding, on the other hand, is a specific type of intermolecular attraction involving hydrogen bonded to a highly electronegative atom and attracted to a lone pair on another molecule, not an ionic bond.

Ionic bonding occurs when a metal donates electrons to a nonmetal, producing positively charged cations and negatively charged anions. The electrostatic attraction between these oppositely charged ions holds the compound together in a solid lattice. This description matches the statement because it specifically involves a metal–nonmetal pair and an electron transfer that creates ions.

Think of it this way: metals tend to lose electrons, nonmetals tend to gain them, and the resulting ions are pulled together by Coulombic forces. This is different from covalent bonding, which involves sharing electrons and typically occurs between two nonmetals. An ionic bond is not about sharing electrons between two nonmetals. Hydrogen bonding, on the other hand, is a specific type of intermolecular attraction involving hydrogen bonded to a highly electronegative atom and attracted to a lone pair on another molecule, not an ionic bond.