Algodoo

Ionic bonding happens when an atom gives away an electron to another atom, they both become ions and attract each other. A good example of this is table salt, or sodium chloride, sodium has 1 electron in its outer shell and chlorine has 7. Neither sodium or chlorine are happy about this however as sodium reacts aggresivly with water and chlorine reacts with your lungs. The solution? Give sodium's outer electron to chlorine, their outer shells are now full and since they are now Ions, they attract each other, making salt. This attracting causes more sodium and chlorine to join this ionic mess and arrange themselves in a self repeating pattern, sodium bonds with 6 (or 4 in 2D) chlorine ions and vise versa.