Question

Why does the electron dot formula for the anion have a charge, and what does this represent? Why does the cation have a charge and a full octet?

a) The anion gains or loses electrons to achieve a stable electron configuration
b) The anion has extra electrons, representing a negative charge
c) The cation loses electrons, resulting in a positive charge
d) The cation gains electrons to achieve a full octet

Answer 1

Anions have extra electrons, resulting in a negative charge and stability from fulfilling the octet rule. Cations have a positive charge and a full octet because they lose electrons, leaving a lower shell with eight electrons. Charges reflect the electron-proton imbalance.

Step-by-step explanation:

The electron dot formula for an anion represents its charge because anions have extra electrons beyond what would be neutral for the atom; these extra electrons give the anion a negative charge. Anions are formed when atoms gain enough electrons to achieve a stable arrangement with eight electrons in their valence shell, according to the octet rule.

Conversely, a cation has a positive charge because it has lost electrons; after electron loss, the lower energy shell with eight electrons becomes the valence shell, leading to a full octet and a stable electron configuration. The charge on a cation or an anion reflects the imbalance between protons and electrons in the ion, with cations having fewer electrons than protons and anions having more electrons than protons.