Which of the following statements is true regarding ionic oxides?

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Study for the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT). Test your chemistry skills with multiple-choice questions, each providing hints and explanations. Get exam ready!

Ionic oxides are compounds formed by the combination of metal cations and oxide anions (O^2-). These compounds typically arise from metals that readily lose electrons to form positive ions, especially those found in Groups 1 and 2 of the periodic table.

Metallic elements, such as sodium (Na) or calcium (Ca), have a strong tendency to form cations, which leads them to react with oxygen to create ionic oxides, such as sodium oxide (Na2O) or calcium oxide (CaO). The nature of the bond in these oxides is ionic due to the significant difference in electronegativity between the metals and oxygen.

While some nonmetals can form oxides as well, they typically do so through covalent bonding rather than ionic bonding. Nonmetals tend to gain electrons from the opposing metals and form covalent oxides, such as carbon dioxide (CO2) or sulfur dioxide (SO2). Therefore, it's important to note that while nonmetals can form oxides, they do not form ionic oxides.

This understanding highlights the truth of the statement that only metals can form ionic oxides, as metals are the ones that predominantly participate in the formation of such compounds through ionic