Ionic bonding is the result of of electrons from one atom to another. ions are formed by metals and ions by non-metals.
In the formation of sodium chloride an is transfered from a sodium atom to a chlorine atom. The oppositely-charged ions are then attracted to each other by forces. A giant 3-dimensional structure called a is then formed.
The closer the ions are in , the is the coordination number. The coordination number of both sodium and chloride ions in sodium chloride is . The value of the coordination number in an ionic crystal can be found from the . Caesium chloride has a than sodium chloride because the caesium ion has a ionic ratio than the sodium ion.