When an atom of chlorine forms an ionic bond with an atom of sodium, what happens to the atom of chlorine?

1 Answer
Jan 21, 2017

The atom of chlorine forms an anion with a charge of -1.

Explanation:

The sodium atom loses its one valence electron to form a cation with a charge of +1, #Na^+#.

Chlorine gains the electron to obtain a full valence shell and forms an anion with a charge of -1, #Cl^-#