Question

If a sodium atom loses an electron, is the resulting sodium ion positively charged or negatively charged?

Answer 1

The resulting ion when a sodium atom loses an electron is positively charged, resulting in a sodium ion denoted as Na+.

Step-by-step explanation:

When a sodium atom loses an electron, the resulting ion is positively charged. This happens because a sodium atom originally has an equal number of protons and electrons, giving it a neutral charge. Specifically, a neutral sodium atom has 11 protons and 11 electrons. After losing an electron, sodium has 11 protons but only 10 electrons, resulting in a net positive charge due to the excess of one proton. The sodium ion is then denoted as Na+, where the plus sign indicates its positive charge.

Answer 2

positively charged and the sodium ion would be a cation