The formula for magnesium carbonate is
MgCO3. What is the charge of the cation in
Ag2CO3?
Would it be +1 or +2 because there are two of Ag?
Carbonate is -2 so Ag must be +1 each.
To determine the charge of the cation in Ag2CO3, you need to consider the total charge of the carbonate ion (CO3^2-) and the overall charge of Ag2CO3.
The carbonate ion (CO3^2-) has a charge of -2. This means that it is composed of one carbon atom (with a +4 charge) and three oxygen atoms (each with a -2 charge). The total charge of the carbonate ion is -2.
Since Ag2CO3 is a neutral compound, the overall charge of the cations (Ag) must balance out the charge of the anion (CO3^2-). With two Ag cations present, the total charge of the Ag cations must be equal to +2 to balance the -2 charge of the carbonate ion.
Therefore, the charge of each Ag cation in Ag2CO3 is +1.