Explain that atoms can bond by transferring electrons from one atom to another.

To explain that atoms can bond by transferring electrons from one atom to another, start with Universal chemistry ideas and keep the answer inside Key ideas in chemistry. Approved keywords include atom. Electron transfer is useful here because the process by which one atom donates one or more electrons to another atom, resulting in the formation of ions and ionic bonds. Avoid students often confuse electron transfer in ionic bonding with electron sharing in covalent bonding; instead to fix this, remember that ionic bonding involves one atom transferring electrons to another, while covalent bonding involves atoms sharing electrons. Remember to draw a simple Lewis dot diagram for each atom, then move the required number of electrons from the less electronegative atom to the more electronegative one to form ions. Label the new charges and check that the total charge is zero. Link your answer to Universal chemistry ideas in Key ideas in chemistry, and keep the biology specific to atom. Seeing the electron movement and the resulting ion charges helps students remember that ionic bonds arise from electron transfer and that the atoms become charged species before bonding. This keeps revision aligned with the approved learning objective on explain that atoms can bond by transferring electrons from one atom to another.