Question

Sodium (Na) reacts with chlorine gas to form the ionic compound NaCl. Which of the following statements is true?

A) Sodium ions are anions in the ionic bond.
B) The reaction leaves each atom more unstable.
C) After reacting, each ion has a stable octet.
D) Sodium gains electrons from the chlorine to form the sodium ion.

Answer 1

C) After reacting, each ion has a stable octet.

Step-by-step explanation:

Answer 2

C) After reacting, each ion has a stable octet.

Step-by-step explanation:

Atoms bond to gain stability and to do that they must fill in their outer energy shell with 8 electrons, which we call an octet. In the case of sodium and chlorine, the sodium atom donates one electron to chlorine. When an atom loses an electron, the protons outnumber the electrons, so they become positively charged. This means it will become a cation.