Question

What kind of compound is Sodium Chloride or $NaCl$.
A) Covalent compound
B) Electrovalent compound
C) Coordinate covalent
D) None of these

Answer 1

Hint:. NaCl compounds are formed by the transfer of one electron from sodium atom to chlorine atom. There is no sharing of electrons. Recall the name given to the compounds which are formed by the transfer of one or more electrons from one atom to the other atom.

Complete step by step answer:
Sodium chloride is NaCl. Sodium (Na) has 11 electrons in total and its electronic configuration is $[Ne]3{s^1}$. Therefore, Na has one electron in its outermost orbital or we can also say that Na has one valence electron. Chlorine (Cl) has a total 17 electrons and its electronic configuration is $[Ne]3{s^2}3{p^5}$. It has seven electrons in its outermost shell or chlorine has 7 valence electrons.
Sodium always wants to give its one valence electron to attain the stable electronic configuration of its nearest noble gas i.e. of neon. Chlorine always wants to take one more electron in its outermost shell to complete its octet by attaining the electronic configuration of its nearest inert gas i.e., Argon. Thus, one sodium atom gives away its one valence electron to the one chlorine atom and in this way, both the atoms complete their octet by attaining eight electrons in their outermost shells. Sodium after losing one valence electron obtains a +1 charge and chlorine after gaining one electron obtains -1 charge. Thus, NaCl compounds are formed by the transfer of one electron from sodium atom to chlorine atom.
You must know that the compounds which are formed by the transfer of one or more electrons from one atom to the other atom present in the compound are known as electrovalent compounds. Since NaCl compounds are also formed by the transfer of one electron thus, NaCl is an electrovalent compound.
Hence, NaCl is an electrovalent compound. So, the correct answer is “Option B”.

Note: Electrovalent compounds or ionic compounds are the same. Ionic compounds are composed of ions held together by the electrostatic forces. The compound is overall neutral but consists of positively charged ions called cations and negatively charged ions called anions. In compound NaCl, cation is $N{a^ + }$ and anion is $C{l^ - }$.