A chlorine ion contains 17 protons, 16 neutrons, and 18 electrons. What is the net charge of the ion in Coulombs?
17•e +18•(-e) = -e = - 1.6•10^-19 C
To determine the net charge of an ion, we need to consider the number of protons and electrons.
In a neutral atom, the number of protons equals the number of electrons. However, in this case, there are more electrons (18) than protons (17), indicating that the ion has a negative charge.
To find the net charge in Coulombs, we need to convert the number of extra electrons to Coulombs. The elementary charge is the charge of a single electron, which is approximately 1.602 x 10^-19 Coulombs.
To calculate the net charge, we subtract the number of protons from the number of electrons and then multiply by the elementary charge:
Net charge = (number of electrons - number of protons) x elementary charge
Net charge = (18 - 17) x 1.602 x 10^-19 Coulombs
Net charge = 1 x 1.602 x 10^-19 Coulombs
Net charge ≈ +1.602 x 10^-19 Coulombs
Therefore, the net charge of the chlorine ion is approximately +1.602 x 10^-19 Coulombs.