Ion pairs are formed when a cation and anion, which are present in a solution of an ionizable substance, come together to form a discrete chemical species. There are three distinct types of ion pairs, depending on the extent of solvation of the two ions. For example, magnesium sulfate exists as both contact and solvent-shared ion-pairs in seawater.
In the schematic representation above, the circles represent spheres. The sizes are arbitrary and not necessarily similar as illustrated. The cation is coloured red and the anion is coloured blue. The green area represents solvent molecules in a primary solvation shell; secondary solvation is ignored. When both ions have a complete primary solvation sphere, the ion pair may be termed fully solvated (separated ion pair, SIP). When there is about one solvent molecule between cation and anion, the ion pair may be termed solvent-shared. Lastly, when the ions are in contact with each other, the ion pair is termed a contact ion pair (CIP). Even in a contact ion pair, however, the ions retain most of their solvation shell. The nature of this solvation shell is generally not known with any certainty. In aqueous solution and in other donor solvents, metal cations are surrounded by between 4 and 9 solvent molecules in the primary solvation shell,
An alternative name for a solvent-shared ion pair is an outer-sphere complex. This usage is common in coordination chemistry and denotes a complex between a solvated metal cation and an anion. Similarly, a contact ion pair may be termed an inner-sphere complex. The essential difference between the three types is the closeness with which the ions approach each other: fully solvated > solvent-shared > contact. With fully solvated and solvent-shared ion pairs the interaction is primarily electrostatic, but in a contact ion pair some covalent character in the bond between cation and anion is also present.
An ion triplet may be formed from one cation and two anions or from one anion and two cations. Higher aggregates, such as a tetramer , may be formed.
Ternary ion associates involve the association of three species. Another type, named intrusion ion pair, has also been characterized.