describe in terms of electrons what happens when magnesium oxide is formed from magnesium and oxygen atoms?

Magnesium in a metal, whereas oxygen is a non metal - therefore magnesium oxide is formed by an ionic bond (if it were 2 non metals it would be a covalent bond). It is important to understand that atoms prefer to be neutral and also have a full outer shell as this makes them more stable. Magnesium has 2 electrons in its outer shell, where as oxygen has 6 (tip: the group no. = no. of e- in the outerhsell)- it is easiest for Mg to lose 2 electrons and form Mg2+ and oxygen to gain 2 electrons to from O2-. This forms oppositely charged ions, so there are electrostatic forces of attraction between them to form an ionic bond.

Answered by Maaedah K. Chemistry tutor

8119 Views

See similar Chemistry GCSE tutors

Related Chemistry GCSE answers

All answers ▸

What is activation energy?


20kg of ammonium nitrate is made from ammonia and nitric acid, what mass of ammonia was used?


Why does magnesium oxide have such a high melting point?


The acid dissociation constant, Ka, of ethanoic acid is 1.78 x 10^-5 at 298K. Given that the concentration of a sample of ethanoic acid is 0.4moldm^-3, calculate its pH at 298K.


We're here to help

contact us iconContact usWhatsapp logoMessage us on Whatsapptelephone icon+44 (0) 203 773 6020
Facebook logoInstagram logoLinkedIn logo

© MyTutorWeb Ltd 2013–2025

Terms & Conditions|Privacy Policy
Cookie Preferences