Electron transfer
What Electron transfer means in Combined Science GCSE, as defined for AQA.
Definitions of Electron transfer
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Reference: AQA
In ionic bonding, a metal atom transfers one or more electrons to a non-metal atom, forming positive and negative ions held in a giant lattice.
The movement of an outer-shell electron from one atom to another, which the diagram represents rather than the sharing of electrons.
The mechanism characteristic of redox reactions and ionic bonding, where one species loses electrons and another gains them.
Electrons shown transferred from metal to non-metal, giving full outer shells and charged ions rather than shared pairs.
The movement of electrons shown by half-equations, with metal atoms losing electrons and hydrogen ions gaining them.
When a metal atom reacts with a non-metal atom, electrons in the outer shell of the metal atom are transferred.
Topics that use Electron transfer
- Chemical bonds (AQA GCSE)
- Ionic bonding (AQA GCSE)
- Ionic compounds (AQA GCSE)
- Key ideas (AQA GCSE)
- Reactions of acids with metals (AQA GCSE)
Related terms
- Ionic bonding
- Covalent bonding
- Electron sharing
- Giant ionic lattice structure
- Giant ionic lattices
- Action at a distance
- Activation energy
- Active site
Using Electron transfer in the exam
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