Table of Contents
- 1 What determines whether an atom is an ion?
- 2 How do you know if an ion exists?
- 3 What determines whether an atom becomes a positive or negative ion?
- 4 What determines whether an atom will gain or lose electrons?
- 5 What about an atom determines if it is an isotope?
- 6 Why ions are more stable than atoms?
What determines whether an atom is an ion?
If an atom has the same number of protons and electrons, it is electronically neutral. However, if the total number of electrons does not equal the number of protons, the atom has a net electrical charge. Any atom or molecule with a net charge, either positive or negative, is known as an ion.
What determines whether an atom will form bonds?
The number of electrons in the outermost shell of a particular atom determines its reactivity, or tendency to form chemical bonds with other atoms. This outermost shell is known as the valence shell, and the electrons found in it are called valence electrons.
How do you know if an ion exists?
The number of electrons is equal to the atomic number minus the charge of the atom. Refer to an element with either a positive or negative charge as an ion. The charge of the element should always be represented beside the symbol if it is an ion.
What determines if an atom is stable or not?
Atoms found in nature are either stable or unstable. An atom is stable if the forces among the particles that makeup the nucleus are balanced. An atom is unstable (radioactive) if these forces are unbalanced; if the nucleus has an excess of internal energy.
What determines whether an atom becomes a positive or negative ion?
If the atom has more electrons than protons, it is a negative ion, or ANION. If it has more protons than electrons,it is a positive ion.
How does an atom differ from a molecule?
Atoms are single neutral particles. Molecules are neutral particles made of two or more atoms bonded together.
What determines whether an atom will gain or lose electrons?
Look at the outer most electron shell (energy level). The number of electrons in the outer energy level (shell) determines (tells us) the atom’s valence. to have 8 electrons in its outer most shell (octet rule) is the atom’s valence (it is a number). An atom will lose or gain electrons to try and fill its outer shell.
Which of the following determines how and whether or not an atom will bond with another atom?
The electrons in an atom’s outermost energy levels or the atom’s valence electrons. What determines whether atoms will form chemical bonds? Nature favors arrangements in which potential energy minimized by bonding with each other atoms decrease in potential energy thereby creating more stable arrangements of matter.
What about an atom determines if it is an isotope?
An isotope is an element that has a different amount of neutrons than its standard atomic mass. Subtract the number of protons from the atomic mass. This is the number of neutrons that the regular version of the atom has. If the number of neutrons in the given atom is different, than it is an isotope.
What makes a molecule stable or unstable?
A stable atom is an atom that has enough binding energy to hold the nucleus together permanently. An unstable atom does not have enough binding energy to hold the nucleus together permanently and is called a radioactive atom.
Why ions are more stable than atoms?
If the outermost shell of an atom does not complete octet, it is unstable. So, atoms exist only in two forms either in the form of molecules or ions. Ions are formed when atoms gain or lose electrons to achieve the electronic configuration of its nearest inert gas. So, ions are more stable than atoms.