The bonds in crystalline ammonium chloride are

Analyze the question: We need to identify every type of bond present in solid NH₄Cl.

Concept: Ammonium chloride is an ionic compound made of NH₄⁺ and Cl⁻ ions. The bonding has to be considered in two places: between the ions, and inside the ammonium ion.

Step-by-step solution:

1. Between the ions: NH₄⁺ and Cl⁻ are held together by electrostatic attraction. This is an ionic bond.

2. Inside NH₄⁺: Nitrogen has 5 valence electrons. In NH₃, it forms three N–H bonds by sharing electrons with three hydrogen atoms. These are covalent bonds. The nitrogen still has one lone pair.

3. Formation of NH₄⁺: The lone pair on nitrogen is donated to an H⁺ ion, which has no electrons. Both electrons in this bond come from nitrogen, so this is a dative (coordinate covalent) bond.

NH₃ + H⁺ → NH₄⁺

4. Total: The crystal contains ionic, covalent, and dative bonds.

About option D: Hydrogen bonding is an intermolecular attraction, not a bond in the strict sense. Although N–H···Cl interactions can exist in the crystal, the standard WASSCE answer is ionic, covalent and dative bonds. Also, option D leaves out the dative bond, which is the distinctive feature of the ammonium ion.

**Answer: C. ionic, covalent and dative.

Exam tip: Whenever you see an ammonium salt (NH₄⁺ with something), remember the three bond types: ionic (between the ions), covalent (N–H) and dative (the one N→H⁺ bond). The same applies to H₃O⁺, which has covalent and dative bonds.