Video Transcript
The given figure shows the
electronic configuration of a sodium and chlorine atom. Sodium and chlorine can react and
make a sodium chloride product. Which of the following figures
shows the electronic configurations of the sodium and chloride ions in the sodium
chloride salt?
Sodium metal reacts with chlorine
gas and makes sodium chloride when the temperature is high enough. The metal atoms lose a single
valence electron during this reaction. The electron moves from the sodium
atoms to the chlorine atoms. Sodium atoms turn into positively
charged ions as they lose a single electron. Chlorine atoms turn into negatively
charged ions as they gain these single electrons.
We can draw a simple illustration
to understand this electron transfer process. Sodium has the 2,8,1 configuration
before the reaction, and chlorine has the 2,8,7 configuration. The arrow describes how a single
electron moves from the sodium atoms to neutrally charged chlorine atoms. The particles both gain a new
electronic configuration and electric charge state as valence electrons move between
metal and nonmetal atom types.
The next part of the figure shows
the electron configuration of the ions that form after the reaction has
occurred. The chloride ion is negatively
charged, and it has a 2,8,8 electron configuration. The sodium ion is positively
charged, and it has the 2,8 configuration. Both ions attain the same
electronic configuration as a noble gas atom during the reaction. Sodium gets the same configuration
as neon. Chlorine gets the same
configuration as argon.
Option (D) has the correct
electronic configuration for the ions of sodium chloride salt. It indicates that sodium ions have
the 2,8 configuration, while chloride ions have the 2,8,8 configuration. Sodium ion, 2,8; chloride ion,
2,8,8 is the correct answer for this question.
