The reaction releases a lot of heat as the ionic compound sodium chloride is formed. A sodium and chlorine atom are near each other. An electron from each atom feels the attraction from the other atom ...

Dot and cross diagrams help us to model when ions are formed from atoms. Here’s an example using sodium and chlorine. They form ions which bond to form sodium chloride. 2. Work out how many ...

A dot and cross diagram for sodium chloride suggests that it is made up of pairs of sodium and chloride ions. It is not. A 3D construction model shows how the ions are arranged in a lattice structure.