Question

1. what does it mean for an ionic compound to be

eutral overall\?

part 2 — build, test, and record ionic compounds

for every compound in this section:

• build it using the simulator
• balance charges until the compound is neutral (perfect rectangle)
• record the formula and ion information

section a

compound name formula cation (charge) anion (charge)

1 sodium chloride
2 potassium bromide
3 lithium fluoride

reflection:
why do these compounds only need one cation and one anion?

section b

compound name formula # of cations # of anions

4 magnesium chloride

Explanation:

Step1: Answer Q7 on neutral ionic compounds

An ionic compound is neutral overall when the total positive charge from all cations exactly cancels out the total negative charge from all anions, resulting in a net charge of 0.

Step2: Fill Section A table

1. Sodium chloride:

Sodium (Group 1) forms $\text{Na}^+$; chlorine (Group 17) forms $\text{Cl}^-$. Charges balance 1:1.
Formula: $\text{NaCl}$; Cation: $\text{Na}^+$ (+1); Anion: $\text{Cl}^-$ (-1)

2. Potassium bromide:

Potassium (Group 1) forms $\text{K}^+$; bromine (Group 17) forms $\text{Br}^-$. Charges balance 1:1.
Formula: $\text{KBr}$; Cation: $\text{K}^+$ (+1); Anion: $\text{Br}^-$ (-1)

3. Lithium fluoride:

Lithium (Group 1) forms $\text{Li}^+$; fluorine (Group 17) forms $\text{F}^-$. Charges balance 1:1.
Formula: $\text{LiF}$; Cation: $\text{Li}^+$ (+1); Anion: $\text{F}^-$ (-1)

Step3: Answer Reflection question

All cations have +1 charge, anions have -1 charge. One +1 and one -1 sum to 0 (neutral), so only one of each is needed.

Step4: Fill Section B (Magnesium chloride)

Magnesium (Group 2) forms $\text{Mg}^{2+}$; chlorine forms $\text{Cl}^-$. 1 $\text{Mg}^{2+}$ needs 2 $\text{Cl}^-$ to balance charge.
Formula: $\text{MgCl}_2$; # of Cations: 1; # of Anions: 2

Answer:

Question 7:

An ionic compound is "neutral overall" when the total positive charge from its cations is equal to the total negative charge from its anions, resulting in a net charge of 0.

Section A:

#	Compound Name	Formula	Cation (charge)	Anion (charge)
2	Potassium bromide	$\text{KBr}$	$\text{K}^+$ (+1)	$\text{Br}^-$ (-1)
3	Lithium fluoride	$\text{LiF}$	$\text{Li}^+$ (+1)	$\text{F}^-$ (-1)

Reflection:

The cations here all have a +1 charge, and the anions all have a -1 charge. A single +1 charge and single -1 charge add up to a net charge of 0 (neutral), so only one of each ion is required to make the compound neutral.

Section B:

#	Compound Name	Formula	# of Cations	# of Anions