Which term describes a force that attracts electrons from one atom to another, transforming a neutral atom into an ion?

• A. Ionic Bonding
• B. Covalent Bonding
• C. Nonpolar-Covalent Bond
• D. Polar-Covalent Bond

Answer: (A)

The key idea here is that ionic bonding arises from electron transfer that creates ions, and the strong electrostatic attraction between those oppositely charged ions holds the compound together. When one atom (typically a metal) has much lower electronegativity, it can lose electrons to become a positively charged ion, while another atom (typically a nonmetal) with higher electronegativity gains those electrons to become a negatively charged ion. The resulting opposite charges pull each other together, forming an ionic bond and a compound that is usually a crystalline lattice with high melting points. Other types involve sharing electrons rather than creating full ions: covalent bonds share electrons, nonpolar covalent bonds share them evenly, and polar covalent bonds share them unequally but do not produce full ions.