Multiple Choice
Which of the following is the correct chemical formula for copper(II) sulfate?
1
views
3. Chemical Reactions
Naming Ionic Compounds
Struggling with General Chemistry?
Join thousands of students who trust us to help them ace their exams!Watch the first videoMultiple Choice
Which of the following elements, when combined with chlorine, would most likely form an ionic compound?
A
Carbon
B
Oxygen
C
Nitrogen
D
Sodium
Verified step by step guidance1
Understand the nature of ionic compounds: Ionic compounds typically form between metals and nonmetals, where one atom donates electrons (forming a cation) and the other accepts electrons (forming an anion).
Identify the elements given: Carbon, Oxygen, and Nitrogen are all nonmetals, while Sodium is a metal.
Recall that metals tend to lose electrons to form positive ions (cations), and nonmetals tend to gain electrons to form negative ions (anions).
Since chlorine is a nonmetal and tends to gain one electron to form Cl⁻, it will form ionic bonds with metals that can lose electrons easily, such as Sodium (Na), which forms Na⁺.
Therefore, Sodium combined with chlorine is most likely to form an ionic compound because it involves electron transfer between a metal (Na) and a nonmetal (Cl), unlike the other nonmetal elements listed.
2:11mWatch next
Master Ionic Compounds Naming with a bite sized video explanation from Jules
Start learningRelated Videos
Related Practice
Naming Ionic Compounds practice set
Problem sets built by lead tutorsExpert video explanations