Question

magnesium has a charge of +2, and chlorine has a charge of -1. to form a chemical bond, how many magnesium ion(s) would the compound have?
0
1
2
3

Explanation:

Step1: Determine the charge balance

In a compound, the total positive charge must equal the total negative charge. Let the number of magnesium ions (\(Mg^{2 +}\)) be \(x\) and the number of chlorine ions (\(Cl^{-}\)) be \(y\). The charge equation is \(2x-y = 0\) (since the compound is neutral).

Step2: Assume the simplest ratio

We know that for magnesium chloride (\(MgCl_{2}\)), if we assume \(y = 2\) (because chlorine has a charge of \(- 1\) and we want to balance the \(+2\) charge of magnesium). Substituting \(y = 2\) into \(2x-y=0\), we get \(2x-2 = 0\). Solving for \(x\):

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Answer:

1