Why does sodium form a 1+ ion but magnesium forms a 2+ ion
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Oxygen-16 is the atom in question.
- Atomic number: 8.
- Mass number: 16.
The superscript of the ion says "2-". That means that the ion here carries a charge of -2.
- The charge is negative, meaning that there are more electrons (which are negative) than protons (which are positive) in that ion.
- The size of the charge is 2. There are two more electrons than protons in that ion.
There are 10 electrons in total in that ion. There are two more electrons than protons. That means that there are 10 - 2 = 8 protons in that ion.
The atomic number of an atom is the same as its number of protons. The atomic number of X is 8.
The atomic number determines the element. Atomic number 8 is oxygen. Thus element X is oxygen.
Mass number is the sum of number of protons and neutrons in an atom. 8 + 8 = 16 for this atom.