Strontium chloride (SrCl2) primarily contains ionic bonds. This is because it is formed from the combination of strontium, a metal, and chlorine, a non-metal.
In ionic bonding, electrons are transferred from the metal atom to the non-metal atom. In the case of strontium chloride, strontium has a tendency to lose two electrons to achieve a stable electronic configuration, turning into Sr2+ ions. On the other hand, chlorine atoms gain these electrons to become Cl– ions. The resulting electrostatic attraction between the positively charged strontium ions and the negatively charged chloride ions creates the ionic bond.
This ionic compound typically forms a crystalline structure, which is characteristic of many salts. So, in summary, strontium chloride does have ionic bonds due to the transfer of electrons from strontium to chlorine, leading to the formation of ions that attract each other.