alleryStart learning →It is incorrect to speak of a sodium chloride molecule because the solid is:
AA covalent network of atoms
BA three-dimensional lattice
CA single giant molecule
DA mixture of two metals
Answer & Solution
Correct answer: B. A three-dimensional lattice
1. There is not a single ionic bond between any specific pair of sodium and chloride ions.
2. The attraction acts in all directions at once.
3. This results in the ions arranging themselves into a tightly bound, three-dimensional lattice structure.
4. Each ion is bonded to all of the surrounding ions, six in this case.
_Source: OpenStax Chemistry 2e (CC BY 4.0), Ch 7 'Chemical Bonding and Molecular Geometry', sections 7.1-7.6_
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