Final answer:
Ionic compounds are composed of one metal and one non-metal; the metal forms a cation, and the non-metal forms an anion. The correct answer to the question is one metal and one non-metal, which corresponds to option B.
Step-by-step explanation:
An ionic compound typically consists of a metal and a non-metal. The metal, which forms a positive ion or cation, and the non-metal, which forms a negative ion or anion, combine to form a compound with ionic bonds. For example, in the compound NaCl, sodium (Na) is the metal that forms a cation (Na+), and chlorine (Cl) is the non-metal that forms an anion (Cl−). Hence, the correct answer to the question is that an ionic compound is composed of option B: One metal and one non-metal.
When naming a binary ionic compound, the metal cation is named first, followed by the nonmetal anion with the end of the element name dropped and replaced with '-ide.' For example, BaCl2 is named barium chloride. In compounds with transition metals such as iron and chlorine, the compound might be named iron(II) chloride for FeCl2 or iron(III) chloride for FeCl3, indicating the charge on the iron ion.