Identifying an Ionic Compound. Objectives: To learn and test for metal ions and non-metal ions and then apply them to discover the identity of an unknown ionically bonded substance

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Identifying an Ionic Compound-

Introduction

Ionic compounds are defined as being compounds where two or more ions (an atom or group of atoms with an overall electrical charge) are held next to each other by electrical attraction. One of the ions has a positive charge - called a "cation", and the other has a negative charge - called "anion". Cations are usually metal atoms and anions are either nonmetal or polyatomic ions (ions with more than one atom).

Usually, when we have ionic compounds, they form large crystals that you can see with the naked eye. Table salt is one of this- if you look at a crystal of salt, you can see that it has in irregular cube shape. This is because salt likes to stack in little cube-shaped blocks. When forming salt, Na readily loses an electron and Cl readily gains an electrons so both can become stable. Heat is added in the reaction so Na burns brightly in CL gas and a white solid forms on the sides of the container. This solid is salt, or sodium chloride. When the chlorine atom gained an electron, the atoms arrange themselves in a