Covalent bonds are stronger than ionic bonds. With an ionic bond one element has a negative charge (anion) and the other has a positive charge (cation). A trick to remember which is positive and which is negative is that the cation as a t in it, which looks like a + sign, which ...
which represent the lowest whole-number ratio of ions. In the formula of an ionic compound, the sum of positively and negatively charged ions is always zero. the charges are balanced.