Which type of bond occurs between oppositely charged ions?

• A. Ionic bond
• B. Covalent bond
• C. Hydrogen bond
• D. Metallic bond

Answer: (A)

When atoms with opposite charges come together, they form an ionic bond. This bond arises from a transfer of electrons that creates positively charged ions (cations) and negatively charged ions (anions), which then attract each other strongly through electrostatic forces. The resulting compound often forms a crystal lattice and typically has a high melting point; it conducts electricity when melted or dissolved because the ions can move. This differs from covalent bonds, which involve sharing electrons between atoms rather than creating charged ions, and from hydrogen bonds, which are weaker attractions between polar molecules, and from metallic bonds, which involve a lattice of metal cations in a sea of delocalized electrons.