Stupid Quiz

Question 1

What is an ion?

Answer 1

An ion is an atom (or group of atoms) that is electrically charged as a result of the loss or gain of
electrons.

Question 2

What is an anion?

Answer 2

an atom that has more electrons than protons and thus has a negative charge

Question 3

What is a cation?

Answer 3

an atom that has more protons than electrons and thus has a positive charge

Question 4

How is an anion formed?

Answer 4

when a neutral atom acquires one or more electrons from another atom

Question 5

How is the charge on an anion calculated when determining its chemical formula?

Answer 5

Once a neutral atom gains an electron, it now has more negative electrons than positive protons.
This excess negative charge causes the entire atom to have a negative charge. For each additional
electron gained, the negative charge becomes greater in magnitude (but not in sign) by one.

Question 6

Why are the chemical properties of an anion or cation different from those of its parent atom?

Answer 6

an ion has a different number of electrons than the atom from which it is formed, so it has different chemical properties as well.

Question 7

How is a cation formed?

Answer 7

when a neutral atom loses one or more electrons

Question 8

How is the charge on a cation calculated when determining its chemical formula?

Answer 8

For each electron lost,

the positive charge becomes greater in magnitude (but not in sign) by one. `

Question 9

Anytime an an anion is formed, a cation must also be formed? Why is this?

Answer 9

The total number of electrons lost by the atom of one element must be equal to the total number of electrons gained by the atom of the other element. Thus, positive and negative ions must always be formed at the same time.

Question 10

What is an ionic bond?

Answer 10

the chemical bond that is the result of the attraction of positive ions (cations) and
negative ions (anions) for each other.

Question 11

What is the origin of the force that holds the ions together in an ionic bond?

Answer 11

Objects of opposite charges (positive and negative) are drawn toward each other.

Question 12

Why does the electric charge on an atom change when it gains or loses electrons?

Answer 12

there is an imbalance in the number of protons and electrons that is, which is reflected in the net overall positive charge of the newly formed ion.

Question 13

Why do atoms tend to gain or lose electrons until they have attained a noble gas configuration?

Answer 13

it allows atoms to become more stable

Question 14

Why do atoms in groups 1, 2, and 3 of the periodic table tend to lose electrons when forming ions.

Answer 14

It is the most energetically favorable

Question 15

Based on their location in the periodic table, group 14 elements appear to be equally likely to lose
or acquire electrons in order to achieve a noble gas configuration. Which, if either, is most often
observed?

Answer 15

described by covalent bonding model

Question 16

What is the meaning of the term “isoelectronic species?”

Answer 16

atom and ions, that have the same number of electrons in the

same electron configuration.

Question 17

When an atom loses or acquires electrons so as to be isoelectron

Answer 17

it has not been “converted” into that noble gas. The number of protons in the nucleus of the isoelectronic ion is different than the number of protons present in the noble gas.

Question 18

What is a Lewis Structure?

Answer 18

a grouping of Lewis Symbols that shows either the transfer of electrons or the
sharing of electrons in chemical bonds.

Question 19

How is a Lewis structure different from a Lewis symbol?

Answer 19

A Lewis symbol involves a single atom of an individual element. A Lewis structure is an illustration
meant to model interaction between two, or more, Lewis symbols.

Question 20

How is electron transfer illustrated in a Lewis structure that is being used to show the formation of
an ionic bond?

Answer 20

To model electron transfer during ionic compound formation, arrows are used to illustrate the
movement of one (or more) electrons from an atom losing an electron to an atom gaining that same
electron.

Question 21

What kinds of elements tend to be present in ionic compounds?

Answer 21

Ionic compounds tend to be composed of a combination of “metals” and “nonmetals”.

Question 22

What kinds of elements tend to be present in covalent compounds?

Answer 22

Covalent compounds tend to composed of only nonmetals.

Question 23

With respect to the process of electron transfer, why are ionic compounds always electrically
neutral?

Answer 23

“Since the total electron loss is always equal to the total electron gain in an electron transfer
process, ionic compounds are always neutral; that is, no net charge is present.”

Question 24

What is the relationship between the net charge of an ionic compound and the ratio in which the
positive cations and the negative anions combine?

Answer 24

The ratio in which positive ions and negative ions combine is the ratio that achieves charge
neutrality for the resulting ionic compound

Question 25

Why are not charges shown in the final written chemical formula of an ionic compound?

Answer 25

The charges for the cations and anions involved in a chemical bond are used to determine the ratio
in which they combine to form a neutral compound. Once the sum of the positive charges (brought
by the cations) and the negative charges (brought by the anions) is equal to zero, the formula is
written without charge since it is considered to be neutral.

Question 26

When writing the chemical formula of an ionic compound, what order is used with respect to the
placement of the anion and the cation?

Answer 26

In an ionic compound, the formula of the cation is written first and then the formula of the anion is
written second.

Question 27

What is the purpose of the subscripts in a chemical formula such as Na2O?

Answer 27

The subscripts in the formula provide the combining ratio of the ions for the compound.

Question 28

What kinds of ions tend to be formed by elements from groups 1, 2, and 13 when forming ionic
compounds?

Answer 28

Elements from groups 1, 2, and 3 tend to form cations with charges of 1+
(for group 1 elements), 2+
(for group 2 elements), and 3+
(for group 13 elements).

Question 29

What kinds of ions tend to be formed by elements from groups 15, 16, and 17 when forming ionic
compounds?

Answer 29

Elements from groups 15, 16, 1nd 17 tend to form anions with charges of 1-(for group 17 elements),
2-
(for group 16 elements), and 3-
(for group 15 elements).