If this atom lost an electron, what would the charge be on the resulting ion?
A. -2
B. -1
C. +1
D. +2
The charge on an ion is determined by the number of electrons gained or lost by an atom. If the atom loses an electron, it has a positive charge. Since the question does not specify how many electrons the atom loses, we cannot determine the exact charge. However, based on the given options, the resulting charge of the ion would be either C. +1 or D. +2.
To determine the charge on an ion when an atom loses an electron, we need to know the atomic number and the number of valence electrons of the atom.
In this case, we do not have that information about the specific atom in question. However, we can make a general statement based on the periodic table.
If an atom loses one electron, it becomes a positively charged ion, specifically a cation. The charge on the resulting ion would be +1. Therefore, the correct answer is C. +1.
To determine the charge on the resulting ion when an atom loses an electron, we need to consider the atom's location on the periodic table.
Atoms are composed of protons, neutrons, and electrons. The number of protons determines the atom's atomic number, which in turn determines its position in the periodic table. The number of protons also determines the positive charge of the atom.
In neutral atoms, the number of protons equals the number of electrons. However, when an atom loses an electron, it becomes positively charged because there are more protons than electrons.
Now, we need to identify the atom in question. Since you haven't specified the exact element, we can look at the answer choices to deduce the possible elements.
From the answer choices provided:
A. -2
B. -1
C. +1
D. +2
We can rule out answer choices A and D because losing an electron would not result in a negative charge.
Answer choice B, -1, represents the charge of an atom gaining an electron to become an anion. An ion with a -1 charge signifies that it has gained one extra electron.
Answer choice C, +1, represents the charge of an atom losing one electron. This results in a positive charge, indicating that the atom has one fewer electron than protons. Therefore, the correct answer is C, +1.
In summary, when an atom loses an electron, the resulting ion will have a positive charge. In this case, the charge on the ion will be +1.