Question

An ion has a net charge of 3+. If this ion has 8 protons, how many electrons does it have?


A.
3
B.
5
C.
7
D.
8
E.
11

Answer 1

b is the correct answer

Answer 2

Answer: B.  5

Explanation: A neutral atom has equal number of protons and electrons. But when an atom loses electrons, it bears a positive charge, the number of electrons decrease as compared to the number of protons. When an atom gains electrons, it bears a negative charge, the number of electrons increase as compared to the number of protons.

Thus when an atom with 8 protons, bears a 3+ charge when it loses three electrons. Thus the number of electrons left are (8-3)=5.

$O:8:1s^22s^22p^4$

$O^{3+}:5:1s^22s^22p^1$