Ions of opposite charge strongly attract each other; those of like charges repel. As a result ions in an ionic compound are arranged in a particular manner. (Remember that an ionic bond is a bond in which one or more electrons from one atom are removed and attached to another atom, resulting in positive and negative ions which attract each other).
To form an ionic compound, there needs to be at least one metal and one non-metal. The metal element is usually the positive charge and the non-metal element is a negative charge. The arrangements of these atoms results in a regular, repeating arrangement called a crystal lattice. A crystal lattice gives the compound a great deal of stability. It also accounts for the high melting point of crystals. Read more about Salt (NaCl)
There are seven crystal classes: Cubic, Tetragonal, Orthorhombic, Monoclinic, Triclinic, Rhombohedral, Hexagonal
What is Table Salt Made of?
Try this:
1)Click right mouse button-->Style -->Scheme--> Ball and Stick
3) Click the right mouse button over the image- Style --> Labels --> With Element Names
Rotate the Image using the left mouse button to view the different atom types.