if opposites attract and iron (fe +3) has a positive 3 charge (wants to lose 3 electrons) and chlorine (cl…

if opposites attract and iron (fe +3) has a positive 3 charge (wants to lose 3 electrons) and chlorine (cl -1) has a negative 1 charge (wants to gain 1 electron); how many cl- atoms do you think one atom of iron fe+3 will attract?\n\n| | fe | cl |\n|--|--|--|--|\n| charge of ion | +3 | -1 |\n| # atoms | 1 | 3 | total charge (on the molecule) = 0\n| total ion charge | +3 | -3 |\n\nfe+3 attracts 3 cl- atoms to become 1 atom of fe ionically bonded to 3 atoms of cl.\nfe+3 attracts 3 cl- atoms to become 1 atom of fe ionically bonded to 1 atoms of cl.\nfe+3 attracts 1 cl- atoms to become 1 atom of fe ionically bonded to 2 atoms of cl.\nfe+3 attracts 2 cl- atoms to become one atom of fe ionically bonded to 2 atoms of cl.
Answer
Explanation:
Step1: Identify charges
Iron ion has a charge of +3 and chlorine ion has a charge of - 1.
Step2: Determine number of Cl - atoms
To balance the +3 charge of Fe+3, we need 3 Cl - atoms since $3\times(-1)= - 3$ and $+3+( - 3)=0$.
Answer:
Fe+3 attracts 3 Cl- atoms to become 1 atom of Fe ionically bonded to 3 atoms of Cl.