Question

d. everything around us is made up of different elements. the air has oxygen (o) and nitrogen (n). plants and people have lots of carbon (c). helium (he) is in balloons. hydrogen (h) is in water. play until you discover which particle (or particles) determines the name of the element you build. what did you discover?
e. test your idea by identifying the element for the 3 cases.

1. play until you discover what affects the charge of your atom or ion. what is a rule for making...

a. a atom neutral (one with 0 extra charge)?

b. a +ion (positive ion, one with extra positive charge)?

c. a - ion (negative ion, one with extra negative charge)?

1. show a neutral atom, a positive ion, and a negative ion. (these examples should be consistent with the rules you discovered.) all of your examples should also have a stable nucleus.

Explanation:

• Part A: A neutral atom has an equal number of protons (positively - charged particles) and electrons (negatively - charged particles). The positive charge of protons is balanced by the negative charge of electrons, resulting in a net charge of 0.
• Part B: A + ion (cation) is formed when an atom loses one or more electrons. Since protons are positively charged and electrons are negatively charged, having more protons than electrons gives the ion an overall positive charge.
• Part C: A - ion (anion) is formed when an atom gains one or more electrons. The extra electrons (negatively - charged) make the ion have an overall negative charge as there are more electrons than protons.

Answer:

• A. A neutral atom has an equal number of protons and electrons.
• B. A + ion has more protons than electrons.
• C. A - ion has more electrons than protons.