Question

Sodium forms a cation with a net charge of +1. How many sodium ions can bond with carbonate?

a) 2
b) 1
c) 4
d) 3

Answer 1

Two sodium ions, each with a charge of +1, are needed to bond with one carbonate ion which has a charge of -2, to form a neutral ionic compound Na2CO3.

Step-by-step explanation:

The student's question asks: "How many sodium ions can bond with carbonate?" To answer this, we need to consider the charges of the ions involved. A carbonate ion has a charge of -2. Since each sodium ion (Na+) has a charge of +1, two sodium ions will be needed to neutralize the negative charge of one carbonate ion (CO32-). Therefore, the correct answer is: b) 1 carbonate ion bonds with 2 sodium ions to form a neutral compound, which is written as Na2CO3.