The key difference between ionic and binary compounds is that ionic compounds contain two charged components whereas binary compounds contain two different chemical elements.
Ionic compounds are binary compounds that come under two different categories. Ionic compounds come under covalent compounds when we analyse the chemical compounds according to the type of chemical bonds present in the molecule. On the other hand, binary compounds come under the classification of compounds depending on the chemical elements present in the molecule.
CONTENTS
1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What are Ionic Compounds
3. What are Binary Compounds
4. Side by Side Comparison – Ionic vs Binary Compounds in Tabular Form
5. Summary
What are Ionic Compounds?
Ionic compounds are chemical compounds containing cations and anions held together by ionic bonds. An ionic bond is an electrostatic attraction force. This attraction occurs between opposite charged ions (cations or positively charged ions and anions or negatively charged ions). These compounds form as a result of atoms tending to complete their electron configuration in order to obtain noble gas electron configuration, which is the most stable way that these atoms can exist. Furthermore, ionic compounds usually exist as crystals since oppositely charged ionic species tend to cluster.
Figure 01: Potassium Chloride Crystal Structure
When considering the nomenclature of ionic compounds, we need to give the name of the cation first, followed by the name of the anion. There are different ways of naming these compounds. For instance, we can name the cation by indicating the oxidation state using Roman numbers, i.e. iron(II) or iron(III). Or else, we can name them using suffixes, i.e. ferrous or ferric. When naming the anion, if it is monoatomic, we can use the suffix –ide, .g.F– is fluoride and O2- is oxide. Moreover, we can name oxygen-containing polyatomic anions using –ite and –ate suffixes, e.g. NO2– is nitrite.
What are Binary Compounds?
Binary compounds are the chemical compounds containing two different chemical elements. Moreover, the type of chemical bond between the atoms of these two chemical elements can be covalent bonds, ionic bonds or even coordination bonds.
Figure 02: Nomenclature of Binary Ionic Compounds
Furthermore, no matter what the ratio between the atoms in chemical formula is, if there are only two types of atoms, then it is a binary compound.
What is the Difference Between Ionic and Binary Compounds?
The key difference between ionic and binary compounds is that ionic compounds contain two charged components whereas binary compounds contain two different chemical elements. Moreover, ionic compounds essentially have ionic bonds, but in binary compounds, ionic bonds may or may not present.
Summary – Ionic vs Binary Compounds
There are different classifications for chemical compounds. Ionic compounds and covalent compounds are classified depending on the chemical bonds between atoms. The key difference between ionic and binary compounds is that ionic compounds contain two charged components whereas binary compounds contain two different chemical elements.
Reference:
1. Helmenstine, Anne Marie, Ph.D. “How to Name Ionic Compounds.” ThoughtCo, Sep. 11, 2019, Available here.
Image Courtesy:
1. “Potassium-chloride-3D-ionic” By Benjah-bmm27 – Own work (Public Domain) via Commons Wikimedia
2. “Writing-Formulas-For-Binary-Ionic-Compounds” By Zappys Technology Solutions (CC BY 2.0) via Flickr
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