Consider an atom of oxygen in which the nucleus contains 8 protons and 8 neutrons. If it is doubly ionized, what is the charge of the oxygen ion and how many electrons remain in the ion?
A) Charge = +2; number of remaining electrons = 8.
B) Charge = -2; number of remaining electrons = 10.
C) Charge = +2; number of remaining electrons = 6.
D) Charge = +2; number of remaining electrons = 2.
The Correct Answer and Explanation is :
The correct answer is:
C) Charge = +2; number of remaining electrons = 6.
Explanation:
An atom of oxygen typically has 8 protons and 8 neutrons in its nucleus. The number of protons defines the element, so any oxygen atom will always have 8 protons. A neutral oxygen atom also contains 8 electrons, equal to the number of protons, to balance the electrical charge.
When an atom is said to be “doubly ionized,” it means that it has lost two electrons. Losing electrons, which are negatively charged, results in a positive charge on the ion. Specifically, each lost electron results in an increase of +1 to the atom’s net charge. Therefore, losing two electrons would give the oxygen ion a charge of +2.
As for the number of remaining electrons, we start with the 8 electrons of a neutral oxygen atom and subtract the 2 electrons that were lost during the ionization process. This calculation gives us:
[ 8 \text{ (original electrons)} – 2 \text{ (lost electrons)} = 6 \text{ (remaining electrons)} ]
Thus, the doubly ionized oxygen ion has 6 electrons remaining and a charge of +2. This analysis matches option C.
This situation is crucial in various chemical and physical processes, especially in plasma physics, where ionization states can affect the behavior of gases under high temperatures, and in astrophysics, where similar processes occur in stars. Additionally, understanding ion charges and configurations helps in predicting how ions interact in chemical reactions, such as forming ionic bonds or engaging in redox reactions. Ionization also impacts the optical properties of substances, influencing how they absorb and emit light, which is pivotal in fields like spectroscopy. This fundamental knowledge of atomic structure and behavior is instrumental in numerous scientific and technological applications.
Now, I’ll generate an image representing an oxygen atom transitioning from a neutral state to a doubly ionized state, showing the loss of electrons.
Here’s the illustration depicting an oxygen atom transitioning from a neutral state to a doubly ionized state. The image shows the original neutral state with 8 electrons and the doubly ionized state with only 6 electrons, reflecting the loss of 2 electrons and the resulting +2 charge.
