Here's why:
* Sodium (Na) has one electron in its outermost shell, making it highly reactive and eager to lose that electron to achieve a stable electron configuration.
* Chlorine (Cl) has seven electrons in its outermost shell, needing one more to achieve a stable configuration.
* Transfer: Sodium donates its single electron to chlorine.
* Ions: Sodium, having lost an electron, becomes a positively charged ion (Na+), while chlorine, having gained an electron, becomes a negatively charged ion (Cl-).
* Electrostatic Attraction: The opposite charges of the ions attract each other, forming an ionic bond.
This electrostatic attraction between the positively charged sodium ion and the negatively charged chloride ion is what holds the two atoms together in a compound called sodium chloride (NaCl), or common table salt.
