Question

For some representative metals, two possible ions can be formed. Why?

a. s electrons can fill the next lower d orbital.

b. They can lose electrons to form a cation & gain electrons to form an anion.

c. They can lose the s electrons or all electrons in their outer shell.

d. They can lose just the p electrons or all electrons in their outer shell.

Answer 1

Representative metals can form more than one type of ion because they can lose different numbers of electrons from their s or d orbitals, with transition metals often losing s electrons before losing any d electrons.

Step-by-step explanation:

Representative metals can form multiple ions due to their ability to lose electrons from different shell or orbitals. Particularly, some transition metals and metals from the p block like tin and lead have the ability to form cations with various charges. For instance, iron can lose two s electrons to become Fe²+ or lose two s electrons and one d electron to become Fe³+. This is because transition metals tend to lose their outermost s electrons before losing any from their d orbitals, resulting in the formation of multiple ions with different charges.