Question

Shameeka is studying for an exam. She took the notes below about calcium and chlorine, which are known to form ionic bonds.

Calcium, which is a metal, donates 2 electrons to chlorine.
The individual calcium atoms become ions with a negative 2 charge.
The bond between calcium and chlorine makes the atoms stable.
Calcium and chlorine attract each other.

Which best describes Shameeka’s error?

Calcium is a metal, so it donates protons, not electrons.
The individual calcium atom has a positive, not negative, 2 charge.
The bond formed makes the atoms unstable, not stable.
Calcium and chlorine repel, not attract, each other.

Answer 1

Answer:

“The individual calcium atom has a positive, not negative, 2 charge.”

Explanation:

Calcium is a metal, and when metals are in ionic bonds, they often have a positive charge. The reason that they usually have a positive charge is because they lose, or give, electrons to the nonmetal, so they have more protons (positive) than electrons (negative). The nonmetal, chlorine in this case, would have a negative charge from gaining electrons. This is how they attract each other (opposite charges attract), a positive calcium atom and a negative chlorine atom.