When atoms change, part II Ions!

If an atom gains or loses a proton it becomes a different type of atom and changes the _element_completely! Protons determine the identity of the atom!
Hydrogen atoms

We know that if an atom gains or loses neutron it becomes an isotope

Isotope Hydrogen 1 (protiem) Proton 1 Neutrons 0 Nucleus

Hydrogen 2 (deutrium) Hydrogen 3 (tritium)

What happens if the number of electrons change?

To this point we have assumed that all our atoms are neutral (no chargeThat means that there is the_same_number of positive charges (protons) as there are negative charges (electrons_). Hydrogen = 1 proton (+) and 1 electron (-) = zero total_charges

What do you think happens if a neutral atom gains or loses electrons?

Since protons have a positive charge (+) and electrons have anegativecharge (-) Any electrons lost or gained would result in a charge atom, we call this an ion_.

So why do atoms gain and lose electrons?

It has to do with the number of electrons in their outside electron cloud. We call these valence electrons. Without a full valence, the atom is unstable or likely to change.

http://www.tutorvista.com/content/chemistry/chemistryi/atom/valence-electrons.php

Atoms like to have a full house

Meaning they like their outside valence to be full_. 1) An atom on the first period_ (horizontal line) of the periodic table wants to have _two_valence electrons. 2) An atom on the second or third period of the periodic table wants to have an empty shell or eight_ valence electrons, and so on. An atom will not gain or lose over 4 electrons! and so on (How many electrons would an atom located on the fourth row or period want?)

So how does it do this?

The atom either gains or loses electrons, so it either loses or adds negative charges. Example: Oxygen has eight electron and looks like this

So oxygen likes to collect two more electrons to fill its second shell.
So now it has an extra two electrons and is charged. It is a negatively charged ion. We refer to this in any of 10 negative charges 8 positive charges = 2 negative charges These three ways: O2- O- - O A negatively charged ion Is called an anion_.

Sometimes a atom will lose electrons

Sodium has eleven electrons.
Sometimes it will lose that outside electron, reducing it to two shells. As a result it becomes positively charged (one more proton than electron). We call a positively charged ion a cation_!

11 positive charges 10 negative charges (once one is lost) = 1 positive charge Na+

How do you know whether they will gain or lose electrons?

Items on the left of the periodic table tend to lose electrons constructing cations!

How do you know whether they will gain or lose electrons?

Atoms on the right of the periodic table tend to gain electrons constructing anions.

What about the last column/family called the Nobel Gases?

What do you think?