What type of compounds do metals typically form with nonmetals?

Metals typically form ionic compounds when they react with nonmetals due to their distinct properties in terms of electron interaction. Metals have a tendency to lose electrons, which allows them to form positively charged ions, known as cations. This characteristic is largely attributed to their low electronegativity and the presence of few electrons in their outer shell.

On the other hand, nonmetals tend to gain electrons, forming negatively charged ions, referred to as anions. In an ionic compound, the electrostatic attraction between the positively charged metal cations and the negatively charged nonmetal anions holds the compound together, resulting in a stable structure.

This is fundamentally different from covalent and molecular compounds, which involve the sharing of electrons rather than the transfer that characterizes ionic bonding. Additionally, metallic compounds primarily involve metal atoms bonded to one another rather than to nonmetals. Thus, the combination of a metal with a nonmetal most reliably results in the formation of ionic compounds.