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Question

How are the cations and anions arranged in an electrovalent compound like Na+Cl-?


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Solution

1. Electrovalent compounds

Electrovalent compounds or ionic compounds are formed by the strong electrostatic force of attraction between metal and non-metal ions.

During the formation of an electrovalent compound, there is a transfer of electrons from the metal to the non-metal forming a metal cation and a non-metal anion. During the process, both the atoms obtain a stable electronic configuration. The ions are held together by strong electrostatic force to form an ionic bond.

2. Arrangement of ions in electrovalent compounds

The ions in an electrovalent compound form a regular three-dimensional pattern or array called a crystal lattice in its solid-state. In the crystal lattice, each anion of the compound will be surrounded by a definite number of cations and vice-versa. In an aqueous state, the ionic compounds dissociated into cations and anions. The formation of a crystal structure releases a large amount of energy called lattice energy.

3. Arrangement of ions in Sodium chloride

Sodium chloride NaCl is an ionic compound formed from sodium and chlorine. In this compound, one electron from sodium metal is transferred to the chlorine atom forming a monovalent sodium ion and chloride ion. These ions have a stable electronic configuration, and they form an ionic bond due to the electrostatic force of attraction between the ions.
Sodium chloride forms a crystal in the solid-state.

Therefore, sodium ions and chloride ions are arranged in a three-dimensional network in sodium chloride. The ions are arranged in a regular pattern in all three directions.


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