Question

From where does the transfer of electrons takes place in electrovalent compounds?

Answer 1

Electrovalent bonds:

• An electrovalent bond also known as the Ionic bond is formed by the transfer of electrons from a metal to a non-metal.
• The metal which donates electrons gets a positive charge(cation) and the non-metal which accepts electrons gets a negative charge(anion).
• Here due to the presence of these oppositely charged ions, ionic compounds are held strongly by the electrostatic force of attraction.
• The metal which is participating in an ionic bond formation should have low Ionization Potential (Energy required to remove an electron from the outermost shell of an isolated gaseous atom).
• The non-metal which is participating in an ionic bond formation should have high Electron Affinity (Energy released in addition of an electron to the outermost shell of an isolated gaseous atom).

Example:

• Sodium chloride$\left(\mathrm{NaCl}\right)$ is an example of an ionic compound, Here Sodium is a metal atom and Chlorine is a non-metal atom.
• When Sodium ($\left(\mathrm{Na}\right)$) and Chlorine $\left(\mathrm{Cl}\right)$ are combined, The Sodium atoms each lose an electron from their outermost shell, to form cation $\left({\mathrm{Na}}^{+}\right)$.
• The Chlorine atoms each gain an electron to form anions (${\mathrm{Cl}}^{-}$).
• These oppositely charged ions are then attracted to each other by the electrostatic force of attraction to form Sodium chloride $\left(\mathrm{NaCl}\right)$.