Examine the scenario. A magnesium (Mg) atom gives one electron to two atoms of another element, and takes on a 2+ charge. The two atoms of the other element each form a 1− charge. As a result, the magnesium ion and the two ions of the other element attract and form an ionic bond.

Given the scenario, which of the following elements could behave as described and have two of its atoms receive magnesium's electrons?

oxygen (O)
sulfur (S)
chlorine (Cl)
sodium (Na)

Only one of those needs one electron to fill the outer shell, that is Chlorine, which has 7 in the outer shell.

thank you

In this scenario, the magnesium atom gives away one electron to two atoms of another element, meaning the other element must have an electron configuration that allows it to accept electrons. Additionally, the other element forms two ions with a 1- charge each.

Among the given elements, oxygen (O), sulfur (S), chlorine (Cl), and sodium (Na), the only element that can behave as described is chlorine (Cl). Chlorine has an electron configuration of 2,8,7, and it needs one more electron to complete its octet. Therefore, two chlorine atoms can each accept one electron from the magnesium atom, resulting in two chloride ions (Cl-) with a 1- charge.

To determine which of the following elements could behave as described and have two of its atoms receive magnesium's electrons, we need to consider their electron configuration and their tendency to gain or lose electrons to achieve a stable electron configuration.

First, let's examine the electron configuration of the elements mentioned:
- Oxygen (O): Oxygen has 8 electrons in total with its electron configuration being 1s² 2s² 2p⁴.
- Sulfur (S): Sulfur has 16 electrons in total with its electron configuration being 1s² 2s² 2p⁶ 3s² 3p⁴.
- Chlorine (Cl): Chlorine has 17 electrons in total in its electron configuration being 1s² 2s² 2p⁶ 3s² 3p⁵.
- Sodium (Na): Sodium has 11 electrons in total with its electron configuration being 1s² 2s² 2p⁶ 3s¹.

Now, let's analyze the tendency of elements to gain or lose electrons:
- Oxygen, sulfur, and chlorine are nonmetals, which generally tend to gain electrons to achieve a stable configuration (8 valence electrons).
- Sodium is a metal and tends to lose one electron to achieve a stable configuration (8 valence electrons).

Based on this information, sodium is the only element that could behave as described and have two of its atoms receive magnesium's electrons. Sodium would lose one electron to take on a 1+ charge, while two atoms of sodium would combine with the Mg²+ ion to form an ionic bond. Therefore, the correct answer is sodium (Na).