Ionic Compounds

Question 1

What structure do ionic compounds have

Answer 1

Giant ionic lattice

Question 2

What are ionic compounds held together by

Answer 2

Strong electrostatic forces of attraction between oppositely charged ions in all directions - ionic bonding

Question 3

What 3 properties do all ionic compounds have

Answer 3

High melting and boiling points - strong bonds so it takes lots of energy to overcome this attraction
When they’re solid, they’re held in place, so the compounds can’t conduct electricity, when they’re melted or dissolved in water they are free to move so they’ll carry electric current

Question 4

What is the empirical formula

Answer 4

If it’s a dot and cross diagram, count how many atoms there are of each element
Or
If it’s a ionic lattice, use it to work what ions are in the ionic compound
Balance the charges of the ions so that that overall charge is ZERO

Question 5

What is the limitation of using a 3D model of the giant lattice

Answer 5

You can only see the outer layer of the compound

Question 6

What is the limitation of of a ball and stick model

Answer 6

Not to scale, so relative sizes of the ions may not be shown
There aren’t gaps in between the ions