Ionic Compounds - Key Concepts

Giant Ionic Lattice

Regular structures, held together by ionic bonds (strong electrostatic forces of attraction between oppositely charged ions) acting in all directions Energy is required to break these ionic bonds when the substance melts or boils.

Because of the strong attraction between ions requiring a large amount of energy to overcome

Ionic compounds don’t conduct electricity because the ions are fixed in place and can’t move However, when an ionic compound melts, they are free to move and can then carry an electric charge

Yes, most ionic compounds dissolve in water - unlike covalent compounds (hence ionic SOLUTIONS in electrolysis)

High melting and boiling points Solid ionic compounds don’t conduct electricity Many dissolve easily in water

Simple to draw and understand - accessible Show the atoms contained and how they are connected Don’t show a substance’s 3D shape Don’t appropriately illustrate the relative sizes of the atoms and their bonds

Clearly illustrates the distribution and origin of electrons in covalent bonds Don’t indicate relative atomic size or illustrate 3D arrangements of atoms or electron shells

(Giant Ionic Lattices are the structure of ionic solids) Show repeating ion arrangement in Giant Ionic Lattices Can show relative ion size Show ionic bonds Don’t show all layers - only illustrate a compound’s outer layer Difficult and time-consuming to draw

Ball and stick models