Question

The oxygen atom found in sodium sulfate, NaSO4
, forms bonds with both sodium and sulfur. Which bond(s) formed by oxygen would be considered ionic in character?

(1 point)
Responses

Both the sodium-oxygen bond and the sulfur-oxygen bond
Both the sodium-oxygen bond and the sulfur-oxygen bond

Neither the sodium-oxygen bond nor the sulfur-oxygen bond
Neither the sodium-oxygen bond nor the sulfur-oxygen bond

The sulfur-oxygen bond, but not the sodium-oxygen bond
The sulfur-oxygen bond, but not the sodium-oxygen bond

The sodium-oxygen bond, but not the sulfur-oxygen bond

Answers

GPT-4o mini
In sodium sulfate (NaSO₄), the sodium-oxygen bond tends to be more ionic, while the sulfur-oxygen bond is primarily covalent. Sodium (Na) is a metal and has a tendency to lose an electron to form a positively charged ion (Na⁺), which then forms an ionic bond with the negatively charged oxide ion (O²⁻).

On the other hand, sulfur (S) and oxygen (O) are both nonmetals and typically form covalent bonds due to their similar electronegativities.

Therefore, the correct answer is:

**The sodium-oxygen bond, but not the sulfur-oxygen bond.**

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