You will learn all about ionic bonding in your Chemistry lessons. But before you start counting electrons – read about some animals which form incredibly strong bonds!
Elephants are well known for forming strong family groups. The male elephants are predominantly solitary, however the females live in herds with offspring. There are many stories of elephants rescuing babies stuck in mud, or being washed away in rivers. They are also one of the few animals scientists believe mourn their dead. Elephants will bury their dead, touching the bones in an act of respect, and returning to burial sites each year. There are even reports of elephants mourning the loss of humans they know well!
Other animals some scientists believe also grieve, are dolphins. Dolphins spend their lifetimes together living in pods with their relatives. Biologists have observed dolphins supporting their dead offspring at the surface of the water. In Kenya, scientists observed a female giraffe staying beside the body of her young calf for more than 4 days. Other females even joined her, and appeared to wrap their necks around her in support! Many different species of monkeys live in strong social groups. When a loved one dies, they will gather together and hug each other!
Some animals are monogamous – mating for life. Many bird species are monogamous, but mammals much less so! However, beavers are a glowing example of monogamy. They stay together until one of them dies – looking after each other throughout their lives. Some fish species are also faithful to each other. The French Angelfish do everything as a couple, hunting together, defending their homes, and just chilling!
If you are in Year 9 upwards you need to be able to explain how and why ions are formed. You also need to be able to draw diagrams to show ionic bonding, and predict the formulae of ionic compounds.
To help you with this try Part 1 of our “How to work with Ionic Bonding” revision guide. It recaps what ions are, and which ions you need to remember. Included is how to draw dot and cross diagrams to represent ionic bonding. There are also some example questions and answers for you to check your understanding.
Click on the picture below to see the guide.
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