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Ionic Radii

Ionic Radii

Ionic radius is the measure used to describe the size of an ion. A cation always has fewer electrons and the same number of protons as the parent atom; it is smaller than the atom from which it is derived. For example, the covalent radius of an aluminum atom (1s22s22p63s23p1) is 118 pm, whereas the ionic radius of an Al3+ (1s22s22p6) is 68 pm. As electrons are removed from the outer valence shell, the remaining core electrons occupying smaller shells experience a greater effective nuclear...

Ionic Bonds

Ionic Bonds

Overview
When atoms gain or lose electrons to achieve a more stable electron configuration they form ions. Ionic bonds are electrostatic attractions between ions with opposite charges. Ionic compounds are rigid and brittle when solid and may dissociate into their constituent ions in water. Covalent compounds, by contrast, remain intact unless a chemical reaction breaks them.
Opposing Charges Hold Ions Together in Ionic Compounds
Ionic bonds are reversible electrostatic interactions between ions...

Molecular and Ionic Solids

Molecular and Ionic Solids

Crystalline solids are divided into four types: molecular, ionic, metallic, and covalent network based on the type of constituent units and their interparticle interactions.
Molecular Solids
Molecular crystalline solids, such as ice, sucrose (table sugar), and iodine, are solids that are composed of neutral molecules as their constituent units. These molecules are held together by weak intermolecular forces such as London dispersion forces, dipole-dipole interactions, or hydrogen bonds, which...

Solubility of Ionic Compounds

Solubility of Ionic Compounds

Solubility is the measure of the maximum amount of solute that can be dissolved in a given quantity of solvent at a given temperature and pressure. Solubility is usually measured in molarity (M) or moles per liter (mol/L). A compound is termed soluble if it dissolves in water.

Ionic Crystal Structures

Ionic Crystal Structures

Ionic crystals consist of two or more different kinds of ions that usually have different sizes. The packing of these ions into a crystal structure is more complex than the packing of metal atoms that are the same size.
Most monatomic ions behave as charged spheres, and their attraction for ions of opposite charge is the same in every direction. Consequently, stable structures for ionic compounds result (1) when ions of one charge are surrounded by as many ions as possible of the opposite...

Ionic Compounds: Formulas and Nomenclature

Ionic Compounds: Formulas and Nomenclature

An element composed of atoms that readily lose electrons (a metal) can react with an element composed of atoms that readily gain electrons (a nonmetal) to produce ions through complete electron transfer. The compound formed by this transfer is stabilized by the electrostatic attractions (ionic bonds) between the oppositely charged ions.

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Feb 16, 2026

Isolation, Culture, Characterization, and Differentiation of Human Muscle Progenitor Cells from the Skeletal Muscle Biopsy Procedure

Isolation, Culture, Characterization, and Differentiation of Human Muscle Progenitor Cells from the Skeletal Muscle Biopsy Procedure

Published on: August 23, 2019

Ionic Control of Postsynaptic Differentiation in Muscle.

H Benjamin Peng, Ding-Liang Zhu

The Biological Bulletin

|January 5, 2018

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Polycation-coated beads trigger acetylcholine receptor (AChR) clustering in Xenopus muscle cells. This process requires both a transient increase in intracellular calcium (Ca²⁺) and cytoplasmic alkalinization, suggesting an ionic mechanism for postsynaptic differentiation.

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Isolation, Culture, Characterization, and Differentiation of Human Muscle Progenitor Cells from the Skeletal Muscle Biopsy Procedure

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Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Cell Biology
Biochemistry

Background:

Acetylcholine receptor (AChR) clustering is crucial for postsynaptic specialization at the neuromuscular junction.
Polycation-coated latex beads can induce AChR clustering in cultured Xenopus muscle cells, mimicking aspects of innervation.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the roles of intracellular calcium (Ca²⁺) and pH in bead-induced AChR clustering.
To elucidate the ionic mechanisms underlying postsynaptic differentiation.

Main Methods:

Cultured Xenopus muscle cells were stimulated with polycation-coated latex beads.
Intracellular Ca²⁺ transients and cytoplasmic pH changes were monitored upon bead stimulation.
The necessity of Ca²⁺ and pH changes for AChR clustering was assessed.

Main Results:

Bead stimulation elicited a transient increase in intracellular Ca²⁺ in muscle cells.
This Ca²⁺ transient was found to be necessary for initiating the AChR clustering process.
Polycations on the beads induced cytoplasmic alkalinization, which was also essential for AChR clustering.

Conclusions:

Intracellular Ca²⁺ transients are a prerequisite for AChR clustering.
Cytoplasmic alkalinization, induced by polycations, is also necessary for AChR clustering.
Ionic mechanisms, involving Ca²⁺ and pH, likely mediate postsynaptic differentiation at the neuromuscular junction.