when table salt forms, which action occurs between the reacting elements?(1 point)
Responses
Chlorine exchanges an electron with sodium.
Sodium shares an electron with chlorine.
Chlorine donates an electron to sodium.
Sodium donates an electron to chlorine.
When table salt forms, the reaction between sodium and chlorine involves a transfer of electrons. In this case, chlorine donates an electron to sodium. To determine the answer to this question, we can look at the electronic configurations of sodium (Na) and chlorine (Cl).
Sodium has 11 electrons arranged in the electron shells as follows: 2, 8, 1. Chlorine has 17 electrons arranged as: 2, 8, 7. Both sodium and chlorine have a tendency to achieve a stable electronic configuration similar to the noble gas argon, which has 18 electrons.
To achieve this stable configuration, sodium can easily lose its one valence electron, while chlorine can easily gain one electron. This electron transfer from sodium to chlorine results in the formation of sodium chloride (salt). Therefore, the correct answer is "Chlorine donates an electron to sodium."