Which of the following are characteristics of binary ionic compounds? (Select all that apply)

A. Made of up of 2 nonmetallic elements

B. Made of a metallic and a nonmetallic elements

C. Involves the sharing of electrons

D. Involves the transferring of electrons

E. Is overall electrically neutral

F. May or may not be electrically neutral

A binary ionic compound contains ions of two different elements - a metal, and a nonmetal.

These have following characteristics-

B. Made of a metallic and a nonmetallic elements

D. Involves the transferring of electrons

E. Is overall electrically neutral (the charges of the cations and anions must balance or cancel out one another.)

D. Involves the transferring of electrons

F. May or may not be electrically neutral

Explanation:

Chemistry considers a binary compound when its molecule is formed by two different chemical elements, regardless of the function to which this compound belongs. Thus, with respect to inorganic functions, we may have a binary compound representing an acid, a salt or an oxide.

Binary compounds make much use of the theory of electron donation and reception. Many of the binary compounds are characterized by one or more ionic bonds when donating and receiving electrons.

According to ionic theory, for an AB-type compound, element A has a positive character, which characterizes it as an electron donor. Negative compound B, on the other hand, is an acceptor of electrons, which come from A. Thus, most binary compounds are characterized by the presence in their structure of one or more ionic bonds (electron donation and reception) and may leave the binary compound electrically charged or not.