Final answer:
The idea that an ionic state refers to whether a compound is positive or negative is false. Ionic states are about individual ions where cations are positively charged and anions are negatively charged, but ionic compounds are electrically neutral overall.
Step-by-step explanation:
The statement that ionic state refers to whether a compound is positive or negative is false. Instead, an ionic state relates to the individual ions that make up the compound. Ions are atoms or molecules that have lost or gained electrons and are, therefore, charged.
Cations are positively charged ions and anions are negatively charged ions. When these ions come together to form an ionic compound, they do so in a ratio that balances out these charges, making the compound as a whole electrically neutral.
Thus, although ionic compounds consist of positively and negatively charged ions, the compound itself is not charged.
For instance, sodium (Na) can give up an electron to become a Na+ cation, and chlorine (Cl) can accept an electron to become a Cl- anion. When these two ions come together to form sodium chloride (NaCl), the ionic compound is neutral because the positive and negative charges cancel out.