A small piece of sodium metal is placed in a flask of chlorine gas. A little water helps expose the sodium so it can react with the chlorine gas. The reaction releases a lot of heat as the ionic ...

It’s a helpful rule of thumb: Main group elements prefer forming bonds that give them eight valence electrons; transition metals go for 18 electrons. Now scientists have shown that main group elements ...

Calcium ions are presented in rocks, bones, shells, biominerals, geological deposits, ocean sediments, and many other important materials. Calcium ions also play major roles in the retention of carbon ...