Question

the simple model below is a neutral magnesium (mg) atom with the elements most common mass number. what must happen to an atom of magnesium in order to become a magnesium ion mg+2? it must lose two neutrons and become a different isotope. it must gain two neutrons and become a different isotope. it must lose two electrons and become an ion. it must gain two electrons and become an ion.

Explanation:

An ion is formed when an atom gains or loses electrons. The charge of an ion is determined by the number of electrons gained or lost. Magnesium (\(Mg\)) has an atomic number of \(12\), so a neutral \(Mg\) atom has \(12\) protons and \(12\) electrons. The \(Mg^{+ 2}\) ion has a charge of \(+2\), which means it has \(2\) more protons than electrons. To achieve this, a neutral \(Mg\) atom must lose \(2\) electrons. Losing or gaining neutrons changes the isotope of an element (since isotopes are atoms of the same element with different numbers of neutrons), but it does not form an ion. Gaining electrons would result in a negatively - charged ion.

Answer:

It must lose two electrons and become an ion.