Multiple Choice
What is the charge of an atom with 15 protons and 18 electrons?
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2. Atoms & Elements
Ions
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Which ion does sulfur most commonly form in ionic compounds?
A
S^{-}
B
S^{2-}
C
SO_4^{2-}
D
S^{2+}
Verified step by step guidance1
Recall that sulfur is a nonmetal in group 16 of the periodic table, which means it has 6 valence electrons.
To achieve a stable octet configuration, sulfur tends to gain electrons to fill its valence shell to 8 electrons.
Since sulfur has 6 valence electrons, it needs to gain 2 electrons to complete the octet, resulting in a charge of 2-.
Therefore, the most common ion formed by sulfur in ionic compounds is the sulfide ion, represented as \(S^{2-}\).
Note that \(SO_4^{2-}\) is a polyatomic ion called sulfate, which contains sulfur but is not a simple ion formed by sulfur alone.
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