an unknown element, X, reacts with chlorine to form an ionic compound XC12, if the X ion has 18 electrons, the element X is what?
XCl2 means element X is in group II (or 2 depending upon the system your instructor is using). The element with 18 electrons is Ar; therefore, the element X must have 20 electrons and I would think that would be ......?
When X react with Cl it form what?
To determine the identity of the unknown element X, we can utilize the information provided.
First, we know that the ionic compound formed is XC12, indicating that X combines with chlorine (Cl) in a 1:2 ratio.
Now, let's analyze the fact that the X ion has 18 electrons.
The number of electrons in an ion can be determined by comparing it to the electron configuration of its nearest noble gas.
As element X has 18 electrons, it has an electron configuration similar to that of argon (Ar).
The electron configuration of argon is 1s² 2s² 2p⁶ 3s² 3p⁶.
To achieve the electron configuration of argon, element X must lose two electrons.
This indicates that element X is a metal, as metals tend to lose electrons to achieve a stable configuration.
Based on these observations, the element X is most likely calcium (Ca), as calcium loses two electrons to achieve an electron configuration similar to argon.
So, the unknown element X is calcium (Ca).
To determine the element X, we can start by understanding the electronic configuration of neutral chlorine (Cl) and then deducing the electronic configuration of the X ion.
Neutral chlorine (Cl) has an atomic number of 17, meaning it has 17 protons and 17 electrons. Its electronic configuration is 1s2 2s2 2p6 3s2 3p5.
Now, let's consider the formation of the ionic compound XC12. Since the compound is ionic, element X will lose electrons to form a cation with a positive charge. We are given that the X ion has 18 electrons, so it means that element X initially had 18 + 1 = 19 electrons.
To find the element with 19 electrons, we can look at the electronic configurations of elements in the periodic table. Starting from the top of the periodic table, we find that potassium (K) has an atomic number of 19 and an electron configuration of 1s2 2s2 2p6 3s2 3p6 4s1.
Therefore, the element X is potassium (K).