Question

1. which of the following is a characteristic of an ion?

a) it has no charge. b) it has either a positive or negative charge.
c) it is always neutral. d) it can only be formed by gaining protons.

1. what happens when a chlorine atom gains an electron?

a) it becomes a positively charged ion. b) it remains neutral.
c) it becomes a negatively charged ion. d) it turns into a different element.

1. which of the following ions is negatively charged?

a) $\ce{na+}$ b) $\ce{cl-}$ c) $\ce{mg^2+}$ d) $\ce{ca^2+}$

1. which element is most likely to form a cation?

a) neon b) argon c) sodium d) helium

1. what is the charge on an ion formed by an atom losing two electrons?

a) $2+$ b) $2-$ c) $1+$ d) $1-$

1. if an element has an atomic number of 8 and a mass number of 16, how many neutrons does it have?

a) 6 b) 8 c) 16 d) 24

Explanation:

Question 1

An ion is an atom or molecule with a net electric charge due to the loss or gain of electrons. Option A is wrong as ions have charge. Option C is wrong as ions are not neutral. Option D is wrong as ions form by electron gain/loss, not proton gain. Option B is correct as ions have positive (cation) or negative (anion) charge.

A chlorine atom has 17 protons and 17 electrons (neutral). Gaining an electron makes electrons = 18, protons = 17, so net negative charge. Option A is wrong (losing electrons gives positive charge). Option B is wrong (charge changes). Option D is wrong (element depends on protons, not electrons). Option C is correct.

A negative ion (anion) has more electrons than protons. \( \text{Na}^+ \), \( \text{Mg}^{2+} \), \( \text{Ca}^{2+} \) are cations (positive, lose electrons). \( \text{Cl}^- \) is anion (gains electron, negative charge). So Option B is correct.

Answer:

B. It has either a positive or negative charge.

Question 2