Which type of bond results from the transfer of electrons between atoms?

• A. Covalent bond
• B. Ionic bond
• C. Metallic bond
• D. Hydrogen bond

Answer: (B)

Transferring electrons between atoms creates charged particles that attract each other, forming an ionic bond. When a metal donates electrons to a nonmetal, the metal becomes a positively charged ion and the nonmetal becomes a negatively charged ion. The electrical attraction between these opposite charges holds the compound together, as in common compounds like table salt (sodium chloride).

In comparison, covalent bonds arise from sharing electrons between atoms rather than transferring them, metallic bonds involve a lattice of positive ions surrounded by a sea of delocalized electrons, and hydrogen bonds are weaker intermolecular attractions between molecules, not bonds formed by electron transfer.