Question

How is the electron configuration of a cation different?

ANSWER:

a. add the number of electrons required by the magnitude of the charge of the cation
b. subtract the number of electrons required by the magnitude of the charge of the cation
c. the electron configurations of an cation and the corresponding neutral atom are the same

Answer 1

When forming a cation, an atom of a main group element tends to lose all of its valence electrons, thus assuming the electronic structure of the noble gas that precedes it in the periodic table.

Step-by-step explanation:

When forming a cation, an atom of a main group element tends to lose all of its valence electrons, thus assuming the electronic structure of the noble gas that precedes it in the periodic table. For example, calcium is a group 2 element whose neutral atoms have 20 electrons and a ground state electron configuration of 1s²2s²2p6 3s² 4s² When a Ca atom loses both of its valence electrons, the result is a cation with 18 electrons, a 2+ charge, and an electron configuration of 1s² 2s² 2p6. The Ca²+ ion is therefore isoelectronic with the noble gas Ar.