1. Valency:
* Sodium (Na) has a valency of +1, meaning it loses one electron to achieve a stable electron configuration.
* Chlorine (Cl) has a valency of -1, meaning it gains one electron to achieve a stable electron configuration.
2. Ionic Bonding:
Sodium chloride forms an ionic bond, where sodium donates its one electron to chlorine. This results in the formation of a positively charged sodium ion (Na+) and a negatively charged chloride ion (Cl-).
3. Electrostatic Attraction:
The oppositely charged ions attract each other due to electrostatic forces, forming a strong ionic bond. The ratio of ions in the compound is determined by the need to balance the charges.
4. Neutral Compound:
In NaCl, one sodium ion (Na+) with a +1 charge balances the charge of one chloride ion (Cl-) with a -1 charge. This results in a neutral compound.
5. Stability:
The formation of NaCl satisfies the octet rule for both sodium and chlorine, making the compound more stable.
Therefore, the formula NaCl accurately reflects the chemical composition and bonding nature of sodium chloride, with a 1:1 ratio of sodium and chloride ions.
The formula NaCl2 would imply that there are two chlorine atoms for every sodium atom, which would result in an imbalance of charges and an unstable compound.
