Balancing charges: Suppose that X represents an arbitrary cation and that Y represents an anionic species. Using the charges indicated in the superscript of X and Y, fill in the remaining blanks below by writing the appropriate subscript for each X and Y to balance the net charge on the ionic XaYb compound formed (where a and b represent positive, whole numbers of X and Y, respectively). Note: write only the number in your answer below. Do not spell the number, type it using your number key pad. Remember if your subscript on X and Y is X2Y2, for example, please reduce your subscripts to X1Y1.

Question

Balancing charges: Suppose that X represents an arbitrary cation and that Y represents an anionic species.  Using the charges indicated in the superscript of X and Y, fill in the remaining blanks below by writing the appropriate subscript for each X and Y to balance the net charge on the ionic XaYb compound formed (where a and b represent positive, whole numbers of X and Y, respectively).  Note:  write only the number in your answer below.  Do not spell the number, type it using your number key pad.  Remember if your subscript on X and Y is X2Y2, for example, please reduce your subscripts to X1Y1.

Bot GPT 3.5 · Answer

The question is asking us to balance the charges of the cation (X) and anion (Y) to form an ionic compound. To balance the charges, the charges of X and Y must cancel each other out. This means that the total positive charge of X must be equal to the total negative charge of Y. Let's assume that X has a charge of a and Y has a charge of b. Since Y is an anionic species, its charge is negative. Therefore, b is the absolute value of the charge on Y. The charges of X and Y must cancel each other out, so we have: a + b(absolute value) = 0 To solve for a and b, we need more information about the charges.