Question

I understand that in ionic bonding electrons are transferred from atom to atom and these ions are then attracted to each other forming a new compound. How is this different from any other transfer of charge situation? For instance, when silk and glass are rubbed together, electrons are transferred between them. These two items then attract each other but we do not say that a new chemical compound has formed, we still just have silk and glass.

Answer 1

In ionic bonding, electrons are transferred between atoms resulting in the formation of a new compound with different properties. When silk and glass are rubbed together, electrons are transferred but no new compound is formed.

Step-by-step explanation:

The key difference between the transfer of charge in ionic bonding and the transfer of charge when silk and glass are rubbed together is that in ionic bonding, electrons are transferred between atoms resulting in the formation of ions, while in the case of silk and glass rubbing together, electrons are simply transferred between the two objects.

In ionic bonding, the transfer of electrons leads to the formation of a new compound with a completely different set of properties compared to the original elements. This is because the transferred electrons create charged species known as ions which are attracted to each other due to their opposite charges.

On the other hand, when silk and glass are rubbed together, the transfer of electrons does not result in the formation of a new compound. The electrons are simply redistributed between the objects, causing them to become charged and leading to an attractive force between them. However, the original materials (silk and glass) remain the same.