what makes up an ionic compound?

An ionic compound is made of positively and negatively charged ions that combine so the overall charge is zero.

Core idea

• One part is a positively charged ion called a cation (often a metal atom that has lost electrons).

• The other part is a negatively charged ion called an anion (often a nonmetal atom that has gained electrons, or a group of atoms acting as one ion).

• These oppositely charged ions attract each other and lock into a solid crystal lattice structure.

• The ratio of cations to anions is such that total positive charge equals total negative charge, making the compound electrically neutral.

What “makes up” an ionic compound (in simple terms)

• Usually: metal + nonmetal elements (for example, sodium and chlorine form sodium chloride, NaCl).

• More precisely: cations + anions (for example, Na⁺ and Cl⁻ ions).

• They are held together by electrostatic attraction between the opposite charges (ionic bonds).

Quick example story

Imagine a sodium atom that “loses” one electron and becomes Na⁺, and a chlorine atom that “gains” that electron and becomes Cl⁻. They now attract each other strongly and join in a huge repeating pattern of Na⁺ and Cl⁻ ions – that repeating pattern is what makes up the solid ionic compound table salt.

TL;DR: An ionic compound is made up of cations (often metals) and anions (often nonmetals) arranged in a neutral, crystal-like structure, held together by the attraction between opposite charges.