Question

The characteristics of two different types of reactions are shown below: Reaction A: Electrons are gained by the atoms of an element. Reaction B: Protons are lost by the atom of an element. Which statement is true about the atoms of the elements that participate in the two reactions? a Their identity changes in both Reaction A and Reaction B. b Their identity changes in Reaction A but not in Reaction B. c Their identity changes in Reaction B but not in Reaction A. d Their identity remains the same in both Reaction A and Reaction B.

Answer 1

c is the correct choice

Answer 2

C: B's identity changes, but not A's identity. The identity of an element is solely dependent on the number of protons. For example, 2 protons in an element would be Helium. But if you add or subtract protons you would get a different element like Hydrogen or Lithium. However, such a rule does not apply to electrons; adding or removing electrons would just change the charge of the element, but not the identity.