The type of bonding present in the compound MgO magnesium oxide is ionic bonding.To arrive at this answer, we can examine the properties of the elements involved in the compound. Magnesium Mg is an alkaline earth metal found in Group 2 of the periodic table, while oxygen O is a non-metal found in Group 16. Metals, such as magnesium, tend to lose electrons and form positively charged ions cations , while non-metals, like oxygen, tend to gain electrons and form negatively charged ions anions .In the case of MgO, magnesium loses two electrons to achieve a stable electron configuration, forming a Mg ion. Oxygen, on the other hand, gains two electrons to achieve a stable electron configuration, forming an O ion. The electrostatic attraction between the oppositely charged ions Mg and O results in the formation of an ionic bond, which holds the compound together.Ionic bonding typically occurs between elements with a significant difference in electronegativity. The electronegativity values for magnesium and oxygen are 1.31 and 3.44, respectively, resulting in a difference of 2.13. This large difference in electronegativity further supports the classification of the bonding in MgO as ionic.