Washington Master Esthetics Practice Exam

What is formed by the attraction between two oppositely charged ions?

1. Covalent bond

2. Molecular bond

3. Ionic bond

4. Hydrogen bond

The correct answer is: Ionic bond

The correct answer is formed by the attraction between two oppositely charged ions is an ionic bond. Ionic bonds occur when one atom donates an electron to another atom, resulting in the formation of ions. The atom that loses an electron becomes positively charged (a cation), while the atom that gains an electron becomes negatively charged (an anion). The electrostatic attraction between these oppositely charged ions creates a strong bond, which is characteristic of ionic compounds, such as sodium chloride (table salt). In contrast, covalent bonds involve the sharing of electron pairs between atoms, leading to the formation of molecules rather than charged ions. Molecular bonds, while sometimes used to refer to the bonds within molecules, generally do not specify the type of bond and can include covalent or ionic bonds. Hydrogen bonds, on the other hand, are much weaker interactions that occur between a hydrogen atom covalently bonded to a highly electronegative atom and another electronegative atom. This type of bond is crucial in biology and chemistry for the properties of water and the structure of DNA, but it does not involve the attraction between charged ions.