Question

an atom can become an ion by losing electrons to or gaining electrons from another atom. ions are found in the compounds we use every day. sodium chloride (nacl), commonly known as salt, is a compound made of a sodium (na) ion and a chlorine (cl) ion. this model shows how sodium and chlorine become ions in the formation of salt. complete the sentences to explain the model. sodium an electron, and chlorine an electron. so sodium becomes charged, and chlorine becomes charged.

Explanation:

1. For the first blank (Sodium's action on electron): Sodium has one valence electron (as seen in its electron shell model) and tends to lose it to achieve a stable electron configuration. So Sodium loses an electron.
2. For the second blank (Chlorine's action on electron): Chlorine has 7 valence electrons and needs one more to complete its octet. So it gains the electron lost by sodium.
3. For the third blank (Sodium's charge): When an atom loses an electron, it has more protons (positive charges) than electrons (negative charges), so it becomes positively charged (a cation).
4. For the fourth blank (Chlorine's charge): When an atom gains an electron, it has more electrons (negative charges) than protons (positive charges), so it becomes negatively charged (an anion).

Answer:

Sodium \(\boldsymbol{\text{loses}}\) an electron, and chlorine \(\boldsymbol{\text{gains}}\) an electron. So sodium becomes \(\boldsymbol{\text{positively}}\) charged, and chlorine becomes \(\boldsymbol{\text{negatively}}\) charged.