Final answer:
Sodium bonds with chlorine by donating its one valence electron to chlorine, which results in the formation of an ionic bond. Sodium becomes Na+, and chlorine becomes Cl-, both achieving a stable electron arrangement.
Step-by-step explanation:
Why does sodium want to bond with chlorine? Atoms generally seek to have eight valence electrons, a state known as the octet rule. The correct answer is: a. Sodium wants to lose an electron to achieve stability, while chlorine wants to gain an electron; Sodium donates an electron to chlorine, forming an ionic bond.
Here's how it works: Sodium (Na) has a single valence electron in its outermost shell. By giving up this electron, it attains a stable electron configuration similar to that of neon. On the other hand, chlorine (Cl), with seven valence electrons, needs to gain one more to reach the optimal eight-electron configuration, similar to that of argon. When sodium donates its electron to chlorine, sodium becomes a positively charged ion (Na+), and chlorine becomes a negatively charged ion (Cl-), leading to the formation of an ionic compound, NaCl.
The electron transfer from sodium to chlorine is what forms the ionic bond. Sodium, which has a low ionization potential, easily loses a valence electron, whereas chlorine, with a high electron affinity, readily accepts an electron. This leads to strong electrostatic attraction between the newly formed Na+ and Cl- ions, creating sodium chloride's crystalline structure.