Chemistry
Sodium has the atomic number 11. How many electrons are in a sodium ion (Na)?
Posted 3 months agoAnswers (2)
Atomic number is the number of protons of an atom. And, given that the atoms are electrically neutral and the charge of one proton is equal to the charge of one electron, the number of electrons is equal to the number of protons. So the neutral atom of sodium has 11 protons and 11 electrons. But, the sodium ion (Na+) has one positive charge, that means that it has lost one negative charge or one electron. Then, the sodium ion (Na+) has 11 - 1 = 10 electrons. Then, the answer is that there are 10 electrons in a sodium ion.
Final answer: A sodium ion (Na+) contains 10 electrons, as it loses one electron from a neutral sodium atom with 11 electrons to achieve a stable configuration and a +1 charge. Explanation: The student has asked about the number of electrons in a sodium ion (Na+). A neutral sodium atom has an atomic number of 11, which means it contains 11 protons and, when neutral, also has 11 electrons. However, the sodium ion (Na+) typically loses one electron to attain a stable electron configuration, resulting in a +1 charge. Hence, a sodium ion has 10 electrons. The formation of a sodium ion involves the sodium atom giving up its one valence electron from the outer shell, adhering to the octet rule to maintain a full outer shell of 8 electrons. Sodium has an atomic number of 11, therefore it has 11 protons and 11 electrons in a neutral state. When a sodium ion (Na+) is formed, it loses one electron, resulting in 11 protons but only 10 electrons, giving it a positive charge of +1. The sodium atom has 11 electrons in three shells, 2 in the inner shell, 8 in the second shell, and 1 in the valence shell. When forming an ion, it achieves stability by losing the valence electron.