Since magnesium (Mg) has two extra electrons it looks around for elements which could use them. In this case, magnesium bonds with two chlorine (Cl) atoms which each need one electron. With the additional electron, chlorine has a filled shell and magnesium loses two electrons.

1 Expert Answer. An ionic binary compound contains a metal cation and a nonmetal anion. This is true because to be a compound, it would contain more than one element and to be ionic, it would generally be a metal combined with a non metal.

Ions that contain fewer electrons than protons have a net positive charge and are called cations. Conversely, ions that contain more electrons than protons have a net negative charge and are called anions….2.7: Ions and Ionic Compounds.

Ionic bonds are formed between cations and anions. A cation is formed when a metal ion loses a valence electron while an anion is formed when a non-metal gains a valence electron.

Ionic bond, also called electrovalent bond, type of linkage formed from the electrostatic attraction between oppositely charged ions in a chemical compound. Such a bond forms when the valence (outermost) electrons of one atom are transferred permanently to another atom.

protons

A polar covalent bond is a covalent bond in which the atoms have an unequal attraction for electrons and so the sharing is unequal. In a polar covalent bond, sometimes simply called a polar bond, the distribution of electrons around the molecule is no longer symmetrical.