State the number of electrons lost or gained when the following elements form
Ions:
Al
Express your answer as an integer
Aluminum (Al) typically loses 3 electrons when it forms ions.
To determine the number of electrons lost or gained when an element forms ions, we need to look at its electron configuration and the octet rule.
The electron configuration of aluminum (Al) is 1s² 2s² 2p⁶ 3s² 3p¹. By losing its three valence electrons in the 3p orbital, aluminum forms a cation with a +3 charge.
So, aluminum (Al) loses 3 electrons when it forms ions.
To determine the number of electrons lost or gained when an element forms ions, we need to determine the charge of the ion.
For aluminum (Al), we first need to determine its electron configuration. Aluminum has an atomic number of 13, which means it has 13 electrons. The electron configuration of aluminum is 1s² 2s² 2p⁶ 3s² 3p¹.
To form an ion, aluminum needs to either lose three electrons or gain five electrons to achieve a stable electron configuration. Aluminum commonly loses three electrons to form a +3 cation.
Therefore, when aluminum forms ions, it loses 3 electrons.