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When an atom of a main group element forms a cation, how many electrons does it tend to lose?
AOne electron, whatever the group
BOnly its innermost core electrons
CHalf of its total electron count
DAll of its valence electrons
Answer & Solution
Correct answer: D. All of its valence electrons
1. A main group atom forming a cation strips off its whole valence shell.
2. Losing all the valence electrons leaves it with the electron arrangement of the noble gas before it.
3. That is why a group 2 metal such as calcium reliably gives a two plus ion rather than a one plus ion.
4. Core electrons lie too deep to be removed in ordinary chemistry, so they are never the ones lost.
_Source: OpenStax Chemistry (CC BY 4.0), Ch 7 "Chemical Bonding and Molecular Geometry", section Electronic Structures of Cations_
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