Question

The magnesium atom has 12 electrons arranged 2,8,2. What must the atom do to become stable? gain 6 electrons a.lose 6 electrons b.gain 2 electrons c.lose 2 electrons

Answer 1

The answer is Gain 6 electrons.

Explanation: The reason for this is that for electrons to be stable, you need a valence shell of 8 electrons. Since it is arranged 2, 8, 2 , the outer shell is 6 less than 8 meaning it needs to gain 6 electrons.