Multiple Choice
How many electrons are present in a sulfur anion with a -2 charge?
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2. Atoms & Elements
Ions
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When a chlorine atom gains an electron, what type of charge does the resulting ion have?
A
A more negative charge
B
It becomes neutral
C
A more positive charge
D
No change in charge
Verified step by step guidance1
Recall that atoms are electrically neutral when they have an equal number of protons (positive charges) and electrons (negative charges).
When a chlorine atom gains an electron, it increases the number of negatively charged electrons by one while the number of positively charged protons remains the same.
Since the number of negative charges increases but the positive charges stay constant, the overall charge of the atom becomes more negative.
This means the chlorine atom becomes a negatively charged ion, also called an anion.
Therefore, the resulting ion has a more negative charge compared to the neutral chlorine atom.
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