Question

how many electrons will magnesium need to gain or lose in order to have a full outer shell of 8 electrons? mg gain 1 lose 2 gain 3 lose 4 gain 5 lose 6 gain 7 lose 8 if an atom has an outer shell with less than 4 electrons, the atoms will _?_ electrons * 2 points lose keep gain or lose gain

Explanation:

Step1: Recall magnesium's electron - configuration

Magnesium (Mg) has an atomic number of 12. Its electron - configuration is 1s²2s²2p⁶3s². The outer shell (3s) has 2 electrons.

Step2: Apply the octet rule

The octet rule states that atoms tend to gain, lose, or share electrons to have 8 electrons in their outer shell. Since magnesium has 2 outer - shell electrons, it will lose these 2 electrons to achieve a stable electron configuration with a full outer shell (the second shell with 8 electrons).

For the second question:
If an atom has an outer shell with less than 4 electrons, it will lose electrons to fill the octet rule. This is because it is easier for the atom to lose a small number of electrons to expose a full inner shell rather than gain a large number of electrons to fill the outer shell.

Answer:

1. B. lose 2
2. A. lose