* Ionic Bonding: Calcium hydroxide is formed through an ionic bond. This means that one atom (calcium) loses electrons, becoming a positively charged ion (cation), and another atom (hydroxide) gains electrons, becoming a negatively charged ion (anion).
* Calcium (Ca): Calcium is a metal in group 2 of the periodic table. Metals tend to lose electrons to achieve a stable electron configuration. In this case, calcium loses two electrons to become a Ca²⁺ ion.
* Hydroxide (OH⁻): The hydroxide ion is a polyatomic ion. It forms when a hydrogen atom (H) and an oxygen atom (O) share electrons (covalent bond), and then the entire unit gains one electron, becoming negatively charged.
In summary:
* Calcium donates two electrons to two hydroxide ions.
* The electrostatic attraction between the positively charged calcium ion (Ca²⁺) and the negatively charged hydroxide ions (OH⁻) forms the ionic compound calcium hydroxide (Ca(OH)₂).
