Video Transcript
The electronic configurations for
an atom and its ion are shown below. Is this atom a metal or a
nonmetal?
An atom is an electrically neutral
particle with an equal number of protons and electrons. An ion is a charged particle with
an unequal number of protons and electrons. During a chemical reaction, atoms
can gain or lose electrons and form ions. Metal atoms tend to lose electrons
and form positive ions. Nonmetal atoms tend to gain
electrons and form negative ions.
The atom in the question has a
total of 13 electrons, while its ion only has 10. So to form the ion, the atom must
have lost three electrons. Therefore, the atom must be a
metal. So, based on the electronic
configurations for an atom and its ion, the atom is a metal.
