Describe the formation of an ionic compound.

When a metal reacts with a non-metal, the electrons that are in the metal are transferred to the non-metal which then forms an ion. The compound in the results is called an ionic compound.

An ionic compound is formed from the exchange of cations or anions of the participating elements or compounds in the reaction. The formation can be due to the reactions like single displacement or double displacement reactions. The final product has atoms with subscripts that are from the exchange of charges.