Ionic Bonding is best described as

• A. Nonmetal + nonmetal sharing electrons
• B. Metal + metal sharing electrons
• C. Metal donates electrons to nonmetal, which accepts
• D. Hydrogen bonding between water molecules

Answer: (C)

Ionic bonding happens when a metal donates electrons to a nonmetal. The metal loses electrons to become a positively charged ion, while the nonmetal gains those electrons to become a negatively charged ion. The opposite charges attract strongly, pulling the ions together into an orderly lattice held by electrostatic forces. This transfer and attraction explain the typical properties of ionic compounds, like high melting points and the ability to conduct electricity when melted or dissolved.

Sharing electrons between nonmetals describes covalent bonding, while a sea of delocalized electrons around metal atoms describes metallic bonding. Hydrogen bonding is a specific intermolecular force between molecules like water, not an ionic bond.