Question

If a lithium atom loses one electron, what will its charge be?

a. -2
b. -1
c. 1
d. 2

Answer 1

c. 1
the charge will go from neutral to positive one

Answer 2

Answer: The charge on the lithium atom when it looses one electron is +1

Step-by-step explanation:

An ion is formed when a neutral atom looses or gains electrons.

• When an atom looses electrons, it results in the formation of positive ion known as cation.
• When an atom gains electrons, it results in the formation of negative ion known as anion.

We are given:

A chemical element of lithium having atomic number '3'

The electronic configuration of this element is
`1s^22s^1`

If, this element looses 1 electron, now the number of electrons left is 2

Number of protons = 3

Number of electrons = 2

Charge = Number of protons - Number of electrons = 3 - 2 = +1

Hence, the charge on the lithium atom when it looses one electron is +1