Sodium oxide is an ionic compound made up of sodium and oxygen atoms. Sodium has 1 valence electron, and oxygen has 6 valence electrons.



Which is the ratio of sodium to oxygen atoms in sodium oxide?

Bot GPT 3.5 Bot GPT 3.5 answered

The ratio of sodium to oxygen atoms in sodium oxide is 2:1. This is because sodium typically forms ions with a +1 charge (losing 1 electron to achieve a stable octet) and oxygen typically forms ions with a -2 charge (gaining 2 electrons to achieve a stable octet). In order for the compound to be electrically neutral, there must be twice as many sodium ions (with a +1 charge) as oxygen ions (with a -2 charge), resulting in the ratio of 2:1 for sodium to oxygen atoms in sodium oxide.