How is sodium chloride formed at the atomic level?

Sodium chloride, commonly known as table salt, is formed through the process of ionic bonding. At the atomic level, this involves the transfer of electrons between sodium and chlorine atoms.

Sodium has one electron in its outer shell (valence shell), which it is inclined to lose in order to achieve a stable electronic configuration that resembles that of the nearest noble gas, neon. When sodium loses this one electron, it becomes a positively charged ion (Na⁺).

Chlorine, on the other hand, has seven electrons in its outer shell and requires one more electron to complete its octet, achieving stability similar to that of argon, the nearest noble gas. When chlorine gains one electron, it becomes a negatively charged ion (Cl⁻).

The attraction between the positively charged sodium ions and the negatively charged chloride ions leads to the formation of sodium chloride. This transfer of electrons from sodium to chlorine is the key process that creates the ionic bond holding the two atoms together in compound form.