Ionic compound

In chemistry, an ionic compound is a chemical compound comprising ions held together by electrostatic forces termed ionic bonding. The compound is neutral overall, but consists of positively charged ions called cations and negatively charged ions called anions. These can be simple ions such as the sodium (Na⁺) and chloride (Cl⁻) in sodium chloride, or polyatomic species such as the ammonium (NH₄⁺) and carbonate (CO₃²⁻) ions in ammonium carbonate. Individual ions within an ionic compound usually have multiple nearest neighbours, so are not considered to be part of molecules, but instead part of a continuous three-dimensional network, usually in a crystalline structure.

Ionic compounds containing hydrogen ions (H⁺) are classified as acids, and those containing basic ions hydroxide (OH⁻) or oxide (O²⁻) are classified as bases. Ionic compounds without these ions are also known as salts and can be formed by acid-base reactions. Ionic compounds can also be produced from their constituent ions by evaporation of their solvent, precipitation, freezing, a solid-state reaction, or the electron transfer reaction of reactive metals with reactive non-metals, such as halogen gases.