Sodium (Na):
* Atomic Number: 11
* Electron Configuration: 1s² 2s² 2p⁶ 3s¹
* Diagram:
```
Na: 1s² 2s² 2p⁶ 3s¹
↑ ↑ ↑ ↑
↓ ↓ ↓ ↓
| | | |
↓ ↓ ↓ ↓
1s 2s 2p 3s
```
Fluorine (F):
* Atomic Number: 9
* Electron Configuration: 1s² 2s² 2p⁵
* Diagram:
```
F: 1s² 2s² 2p⁵
↑ ↑ ↑
↓ ↓ ↓
| | |
↓ ↓ ↓
1s 2s 2p
```
Transfer of Electrons:
Sodium (Na) has one valence electron in its outermost shell (3s¹) which it readily loses to achieve a stable octet configuration. Fluorine (F) has seven valence electrons in its outermost shell (2p⁵) and needs one more electron to achieve a stable octet configuration.
During the formation of sodium fluoride, sodium donates its valence electron to fluorine. This results in:
* Sodium Ion (Na+): 1s² 2s² 2p⁶ (stable octet)
* Fluoride Ion (F-): 1s² 2s² 2p⁶ (stable octet)
Diagram of Electron Transfer:
```
Na: 1s² 2s² 2p⁶ 3s¹ + F: 1s² 2s² 2p⁵ → Na+: 1s² 2s² 2p⁶ + F-: 1s² 2s² 2p⁶
↑ ↑ ↑ ↑ ↑ ↑ ↑ ↑ ↑ ↑ ↑ ↑ ↑
↓ ↓ ↓ ↓ ↓ ↓ ↓ ↓ ↓ ↓ ↓ ↓ ↓
| | | | | | | | | | | | |
↓ ↓ ↓ ↓ ↓ ↓ ↓ ↓ ↓ ↓ ↓ ↓ ↓
1s 2s 2p 3s 1s 2s 2p 1s 2s 2p 1s 2s 2p
```
The electrostatic attraction between the positively charged sodium ion and the negatively charged fluoride ion results in the formation of the ionic compound sodium fluoride (NaF).
