Question

1. the outermost electrons in each atom are called valence electrons. how many valence electrons does each fluorine atom have? 2. click pause (⏸). drag a valence electron from the left atom to the right atom. click play. what happens? 3. click pause, drag a valence electron from the right atom to the left, and then click play. what happens now?

Explanation:

Step1: Recall electron - configuration of fluorine

Fluorine has atomic number 9. Its electron - configuration is 1s²2s²2p⁵. The electrons in the outermost shell (n = 2) are the valence electrons. 2 + 5=7.

Step2: Analyze electron - transfer in first case

When a valence electron is dragged from the left atom to the right atom, the left atom becomes a positively - charged ion (cation) with a charge of + 1 (losing an electron), and the right atom becomes a negatively - charged ion (anion) with a charge of - 1 (gaining an electron). An ionic bond may start to form if the attraction between the ions is strong enough.

Step3: Analyze electron - transfer in second case

When a valence electron is dragged from the right atom to the left atom, the right atom becomes a cation with a charge of + 1 and the left atom becomes an anion with a charge of - 1. If the process is repeated, a stable ionic compound may be formed depending on the conditions.

Answer:

1. 7
2. The left atom becomes a cation and the right atom becomes an anion.
3. The right atom becomes a cation and the left atom becomes an anion.