Course: Chemistry

Unit: Chemical Bonding

Assignment: Ionic Bonds Mini Project

Project Expectations and Instructions:

Projects and Mini Project are 20% of the overall grade. Completing and doing well on projects is very
important for your unit and overall grade.

For this project, you will be using Gizmos simulations through ExploreLearning. Please login to your
Gizmos account (Gizmos Login) and open the “Ionic Bonds” simulation.

This document will walk you through how to use the Gizmos simulation. Please answer all
questions in the Answer boxes in complete sentences. Leave the rest of the document intact.
Your teacher will include notes in the document and add points in the “Points Earned”
column.

** Please read over the teacher comments after the report is submitted and graded. **

Ionic Bonds
Student Name:
Date:
Name of Grader:

Goals:
 Understand that atoms are most stable with a full set of eight valence electrons
 Model ionic bonds and determine formulas between a wide variety of metals and nonmetals.

Prior Knowledge Questions (Do these BEFORE using the Gizmo.)

Question Answer Possible Earned

1. Nate and Clara are drawing pictures Nate can give one of his markers to 1
with markers. There are 8 markers in a Clara so that they both have a full
set. Nate has 9 markers and Clara has set of 8 markers.
7. What can Nate and Clara do so that
each of them has a full set?
2. Maggie is sitting at a table with Fred Maggie can give one marker to 1
and Florence. Maggie has 10 markers, both Fred and Florence so they
but Fred and Florence each only have 7 each will have 8 markers.
markers. How can they share markers
so that each has 8?

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Gizmo Warm-up

Just like students sharing markers, atoms sometimes share or swap electrons. By doing this, atoms form
bonds. The Ionic Bonds Gizmo allows you to explore how ionic bonds form.

To begin, check that Sodium (Na) and Chlorine (Cl) are

selected from the menus at right. Click Play ( ) to see
electrons orbiting the nucleus of each atom. (Note: These
atom models are simplified and not meant to be realistic.)

1. Each atom consists of a central nucleus and several shells that contain electrons. The outermost
electrons are called valence electrons. (Inner electrons are not shown.)

Question Answer Possible Earned

How many valence electrons does Sodium: 1 2
each atom have? Chlorine: 7

2. Click Pause ( ). Elements can be classified as metals and nonmetals. Metals do not hold on to
their valence electrons very tightly, while nonmetals hold their electrons tightly. Electron affinity is a
measure of how tightly the valence electrons are held.

Question Answer Possible Earned

A. Try pulling an electron away from Metal: Sodium 2
each atom. Based on this
experiment, which atom is the metal Nonmetal: Chlorine
and nonmetal?
B. Try moving an electron from the It moves into the outermost shell 1
metal to the nonmetal. What of the nonmetal.
happens?

Get the Gizmo ready:

Activity A: Ions
 Click Reset.
 Check that sodium and chlorine are still selected.

Introduction: Some of the particles that make up atoms have an electrical charge. Electrons are
negatively charged, while protons are positively charged. Particles with opposite charges
(+ and –) attract, while particles with the same charge (+ and + or – and –) repel.

Question: What happens when atoms gain or lose electrons?

1. Count: Electrons move around the nucleus of atoms in specific shells, shown by the rings around the
atoms in the Gizmo. The first ring holds two electrons, and the second holds eight. (Electrons in the
inner rings are not shown; you can assume these rings are full.)

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 Question Answer Possible Earned
A. Observe the sodium and chlorine Sodium: 11 2
atoms. Assuming that the inner rings
are full of electrons, how many
Chlorine: 17
electrons are there total in each
atom?
B. Each atom is neutrally charged, Sodium: 11 2
which means that each atom has the
same number of protons and
Chlorine: 17
electrons. Based on this, how many
protons are in each atom?

Question Answer Possible Earned

2. Observe: Most atoms are stable with Sodium: 1 2
a configuration of eight valence
electrons. This is known as the octet
Chlorine: 7
rule. How many valence electrons
does each atom have?

3. Form a bond: Each electron has a charge of 1–, and each proton has a charge of 1+. You can
calculate the charge of an atom by subtracting the number of electrons from the number of protons.
Move an electron from the sodium to the chlorine atom.

Question Answer Possible Earned

A. What are the charges of each atom Sodium: 1+ 2
now?
Chlorine: 1-
Turn on Show charge to check.
These charges are called ions.
B. Is each ion stable? Explain. Both ions are stable because they 2
have completed octets in their
outermost shell.
C. Think and discuss: Why is there an There is an attraction between the 2
attraction between the two ions in two ions in this chemical bond due
this chemical bond? to their opposite charges (the
positive Na and negative Cl), which
causes an attraction between
them.

Get the Gizmo ready:

Activity B: Ionic
compounds  Click Reset. Turn off Show charge.
 Select Lithium (Li) and Oxygen (O).

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Question: How are ionic compounds formed?

1. Observe: Look at the red lithium atom and the blue oxygen atom. Recall that most atoms are stable
when their outermost ring has eight electrons. (Some atoms, such as lithium and beryllium, are
stable when their outermost ring has two electrons.)

Question Answer Possible Earned

A. How many electrons will the lithium It will have to give up 1 electron. 1
atom give up to become stable?
B. How many electrons does the oxygen It needs 2 electrons to become 1
atom need to become stable? stable.
C. Can a stable compound be made from No, a stable atom cannot be made 2
these two atoms? Explain why or why from these two atoms because
not.

2. Form bonds: Click Add metal to add another lithium atom, and then transfer electrons from the
lithium to the oxygen. Click Check.
Question Answer Possible Earned
A. Did you make a stable compound? Yes, I made a stable compound 1

B. Turn on Show formula. What is the Li2O 1

formula of this compound?
C. Turn on Show charge. What is the Li 1+ 3
charge of each ion? Li 1+
O 2-

3. Practice: Use the Gizmo to create stable compounds from the combinations given below. After
transferring electrons, arrange the atoms to demonstrate the attraction between positively charged
ions and negatively charged ions. Click Check to check each compound.

For each compound, click the camera ( ) icon to take a snapshot. Right-click the image, and click
Copy Image. Paste each image into the table below. Write the ionic charges (such as Ca2+) and
chemical formulas below.

Elements Ionic Charges Chemical Compound Images

(include +/-) Formula

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A. Lithium and Li 1+ F 1- LiF
fluorine:

B. Beryllium and Be 2+ O 2- BeO

oxygen

C. Magnesium Mg 2+ F 1- MgF2
and fluorine

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 D. Aluminum and Al 3+ Cl 1- AlCl3
chlorine

E. Beryllium and Be 2+ N 3- Be3N2

nitrogen

Possible Earned
15

Get the Gizmo ready:

Extension:
Chemical families  Select Lithium (Li) from the Select a metal list.
 You will need a periodic table for this activity.

Introduction: The periodic table arranges elements by size and property. The vertical columns represent
chemical families, or groups of elements with similar chemical properties.

Question: How are elements arranged into chemical families?

1. Gather data: Four other pairs of elements in the same chemical family are listed below. List the
number of valence electrons in each element.

Lithium 1 Beryllium 2 Nitrogen 5 Oxygen 6 Fluorine 7

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 Sodium 1 Magnesium 2 Phosphorus 5 Sulfur 6 Chlorine 7

Possible Earned
5

Question Answer Possible Earned

2. Analyze: What pattern do you see? Elements that are in the same 1
group (column) of the periodic
table have the same number of
valence electrons.
3. Make a rule: Based on your data, how Based on this observation, I would 2
are elements arranged into chemical conclude that elements are
families? arranged into chemical families by
the number of valence electrons
they have. Having the same
number of valence electrons likely
makes them similar when it comes
to reactivity and other certain
properties.

4. Extend the Rule: All atoms want 8 valence electrons. If metals lose to get to eight and nonmetals
gain to get to 8, what would the charge be in each column started by the following elements?
Include the +/-.

Charge Charge
Hydrogen 1+ Nitrogen 3-
Beryllium 2+ Oxygen 2-
Boron 3+ Fluorine 1-
Carbon 4+ or4- Neon 0

Possible Earned
4

5. Additional Practice. Use the periodic table to find the charges of the ions and then write the ionic
formula for chemical compounds. These are not in the Gizmo.

Elements Ionic Charges Chemical

(include +/-) Formula
A. Magnesium Mg 2- N 3+ Mg3N2
and nitrogen

B. Barium and Ba 2- F 1+ BaF2

fluorine

C. Lithium and Li 1+ P 3- Li3P

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 phosphorus

D. Gallium and Ga 3+ Br 1- GaBr3

bromine

E. Strontium and Sr 2+ S 2- SrS

sulfur

Possible Earned
10

Points Earned:   
Units/Spell Check/etc:    5 
Points Possible  70
Total Score:   
Areas of Strength:   
Areas for Growth:   

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