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What force holds the ions of a salt crystal together?
AEqual sharing of one pair of electrons
BOverlap of two half filled orbitals
CElectrostatic attraction between opposite charges
DWeak attraction between neutral molecules
Answer & Solution
Correct answer: C. Electrostatic attraction between opposite charges
1. A salt is built from cations, which are positive, and anions, which are negative.
2. Opposite charges pull on each other, and that pull is an electrostatic force.
3. This electrostatic attraction between cations and anions is the ionic bond itself.
4. Sharing electrons would make a covalent bond instead, which is a different mechanism.
_Source: OpenStax Chemistry (CC BY 4.0), Chs 7 and 17, section 7.1 Ionic Bonding_
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