A dot and cross diagram for sodium chloride suggests that it is made up of pairs of sodium and chloride ions. It is not. A 3D construction model shows how the ions are arranged in a lattice structure.

Sodium Chloride is an alkali halide with an fcc crystal structure. The basis is two ions, a sodium cation and a chlorine anion. The crystal lattice parameter is 0.563 nm. The diagram shows both a unit ...

form a regular lattice structure in which oppositely charged ions are strongly attracted to each other. Sodium chloride is an ionic compound. The table shows some limitations of different models ...