how do you determine what atom gained or lost electrons
To determine which atom gained or lost electrons, you need to follow these steps:
1. Identify the atoms involved in the chemical reaction or compound.
2. Determine the valence electrons of each atom. Valence electrons are the electrons in the outermost energy level or shell of an atom.
3. Identify the electronegativity values of the atoms. Electronegativity is a measure of an atom's ability to attract electrons towards itself in a chemical bond. You can find electronegativity values on the periodic table.
4. Compare the electronegativity values of the atoms. The atom with higher electronegativity is more likely to gain electrons, while the atom with lower electronegativity is more likely to lose electrons.
5. Consider the octet rule. Most atoms strive to achieve a stable electron configuration, meaning they want to have a full valence shell of eight electrons (except for hydrogen and helium, which aim for two electrons). If an atom has fewer than eight valence electrons, it will tend to lose or gain electrons to achieve stability.
6. Determine the oxidation numbers of the atoms in the compound or reaction. The element with a higher oxidation number has lost electrons, while the element with a lower oxidation number has gained electrons.
By following these steps, you can determine which atom gained or lost electrons in a chemical reaction or compound.
To determine which atom gained or lost electrons in a chemical reaction, you need to follow these steps:
1. Identify the reactants and products of the chemical reaction.
2. Assign oxidation numbers to each atom in the reactants and products.
3. Compare the oxidation numbers of each atom between the reactants and products.
4. If the oxidation number of an atom increases from reactants to products, it means that the atom lost electrons. Conversely, if the oxidation number of an atom decreases from reactants to products, it means that the atom gained electrons.
Here's an example to illustrate the process:
Consider the reaction where sodium reacts with chlorine to form sodium chloride:
2Na + Cl2 → 2NaCl
1. In this reaction, the reactants are sodium (Na) and chlorine (Cl2), and the product is sodium chloride (NaCl).
2. Assign oxidation numbers to each atom:
- Sodium (Na) always has an oxidation number of +1.
- Chlorine (Cl) always has an oxidation number of -1.
3. Compare the oxidation numbers:
- In Na, the oxidation number is +1 (unchanged).
- In Cl2, the oxidation number is 0 (unchanged).
- In NaCl, the oxidation number for Na is +1, and for Cl is -1.
4. Comparing the oxidation numbers, we find that the oxidation number of sodium (Na) increased from +0 to +1 in NaCl, indicating that it lost one electron. The oxidation number of chlorine (Cl) decreased from 0 to -1, indicating that it gained one electron.
Therefore, in this reaction, sodium lost electrons and chlorine gained electrons.