Okay .If i have Aluminum (a positive ion with 3 electrons in its outer shell) and i have Chlorine (a negative ion with 7 e- in its outer shell) how do i combine them to make a neutral compound?do you get Al3Ch ?the 3 is a subscriptI also have to do Magnesium + Bromine sodium + oxygenlithium + oxygenand a few moreif you could explain why it would be great too!thanks for reading all the way through this
Since Al has a +3 charge, you need 3 negative charges to neutralize the moleculeYou're combining with Chloride (Cl) which has a -1 charge, so you need 3 to get a -3 charge totalYour compound will then be AlCl3Same with the others, you need the same amount of net negative and net positive charge to end up with a net neutralAnd a side note about your definition of ions: Aluminum is a positive ion because it loses those three electrons in the outer shellThis leaves it with a full outer shellLikewise, chloride gains one electron in its outer shell, giving it a full shell (8 e-) and also a net charge of -1The gain or loss of electrons is what makes them ions, and they will not have the same electron configuration as a neutral atom.
