Ion Forge

Pilot the rover with arrows/WASD, touch-drag, or the on-screen pad. Collect the ions needed to make the mission’s total charge zero. Press Space or Bond Pulse to pull nearby ions.

Example: Mg²⁺ needs two Cl⁻ ions, so the neutral formula is MgCl₂. Choose settings and press Start.

Ion Forge

Crystal Quest · collect, balance, bond

Score0

Lives∞

Level1/6

Accuracy100%

Time0s

Crystals0

Session

Mode

Difficulty

Ion rover controls

Forge notebook

Start a mission. Collect the displayed number of each ion so positive and negative charges cancel.

How to play

Keyboard: arrows/WASD move; Space/Enter activates the attraction field.
Touch or mouse: drag the rover, or use the on-screen pad.
Collect only the ions shown in the crystal chamber. A full chamber must have net charge zero.
P pauses and M mutes. In Challenge Mode, wrong ions and escaped required ions cost a life.

Knowledge check

1. Which formula balances Mg²⁺ and Cl⁻?

2. What happens to sodium when Na⁺ forms?

3. Why do oppositely charged ions stay together?

Learning outcomes

Learning objectives

Explain electron transfer from metals to nonmetals.
Distinguish positive cations from negative anions.
Balance ion ratios so the compound has zero net charge.
Write formulas such as NaCl, MgCl₂, CaF₂, and Al₂O₃.
Connect electrostatic attraction to ionic crystal lattices.
Explain brittleness, high melting points, and why molten or aqueous ions conduct electricity.

Key gameplay concept: the forge closes only when collected charges cancel exactly.

Suggested challenge: complete Hard Challenge Mode above 2,500 points with 85% accuracy.

Explore: Why does Al₂O₃ need two Al³⁺ and three O²⁻ ions? Why can molten NaCl conduct while solid NaCl cannot?