Question

What the difference between a sodium atom (Na) and a sodium ion (Nal+)

Answer 1

Answer:

So a sodium atom has the electronic configuration 2,8,1 meaning it has 1 electron on its outer shell. It has a neutral charge since the number of electrons is equal to the number of protons.

A sodium ion is one that has lost the electron on its valence shell. The electronic configuration is 2,8 and it has a positive charge because it has more protons than electrons.

Answer 2

Answer:

$\boxed {\boxed {\sf Number \ of \ electrons \ and \ net \ charge}}$

Explanation:

Remember that protons have a positive charge of +1 and electrons have a negative charge of -1. Atoms have protons and electrons.

A sodium atom has the electron configuration of 2-8-1. It has 11 electrons and its atomic number (number of protons) is also 11. This means it is a neutral atom because the charges of the electrons (-11) and protons (+11) balance each other out.

However, a sodium ion is different. It loses the 1 valence electron, so it only has 10 electrons. It still has the same atomic number of 11.

It is a not a neutral atom because the charges of the electrons (-10) and protons (+11) do not balance out. It has more protons and a net positive charge of +1. It is a cation or a positively charged ion.