Answer the following question given this paragraph: 

Note the Pattern Ionic compounds contain both cations and anions in a ratio that results in zero electrical charge. In covalent compounds, electrons are shared between bonded atoms and are simultaneously attracted to more than one nucleus. In contrast, ionic compounds contain cations and anions rather than discrete neutral molecules. Ionic compounds are held together by the attractive electrostatic interactions between cations and anions. In an ionic compound, the cations and anions are arranged in space to form an extended three-dimensional array that maximizes the number of attractive electrostatic interactions and minimizes the number of repulsive electrostatic interactions (Figure 2.5 "Covalent and Ionic Bonding"). As shown in Equation 2.1, the electrostatic energy of the interaction between two charged particles is proportional to the product of the charges on the particles and inversely proportional to the distance between them: Saylor URL: http://www. saylor. org/books.


Q: Ionic compounds contain cations and anions rather than what?

 Choices:

- characterized neutral molecules

- positive molecules

- analogous neutral molecules

- discrete neutral molecules

A:
discrete neutral molecules
