Question

an atomic cation with a charge of +1 has the following electron configuration: he2s²2p⁶ what is the chemical symbol for the ion? how many electrons does the ion have? how many 2s electrons are in the ion?

Explanation:

Step1: Calculate the number of electrons in the ion

Helium (\([He]\)) has \(2\) electrons. The \(2s^{2}\) sub - shell has \(2\) electrons and the \(2p^{6}\) sub - shell has \(6\) electrons.
The total number of electrons in the ion \(N = 2+2 + 6=10\)

Step2: Determine the chemical symbol of the ion

Since the ion has a charge of \(+ 1\), the number of protons \(P\) in the neutral atom is \(P=N + 1\) (because \(Charge=P - N\)). So \(P=10 + 1=11\). The element with atomic number \(11\) is sodium (\(Na\)), and the ion is \(Na^{+}\)

Step3: Find the number of \(2s\) electrons

From the electron configuration \([He]2s^{2}2p^{6}\), the number of \(2s\) electrons is \(2\)

Answer:

• Chemical symbol: \(Na^{+}\)
• Number of electrons: \(10\)
• Number of \(2s\) electrons: \(2\)