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ionic bond

/aɪˌɑnɪk bɑnd/
IPA guide

In chemistry, an ionic bond is a connection between two ions with opposite charges. When a positive and a negative ion form a chemical bond, it's an ionic bond.

You're likely to come across the term ionic bond in chemistry class. It's the bond that's formed during the process of one atom losing an electron — becoming negatively charged — and another gaining an electron — becoming positively charged. This is also known as an electrovalent bond or an electrostatic bond. The adjective ionic comes from the noun ion, an electrically charged atom, which means "go" in Greek.

Definitions of ionic bond
  1. noun
    a chemical bond in which one atom loses an electron to form a positive ion and the other atom gains an electron to form a negative ion
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    type of:
    bond, chemical bond
    an electrical force linking atoms
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