Question

An atom X that has 12 protons and 12 electrons, loses two electrons to form an ion. What will be the charge of the ion? What will be the number of protons and electrons in the ion?

Answer 1

Hint: As we know that protons and electrons are the subatomic particles of an atom of any element, molecule or compound. They balance the charge of an atom as for each positive charge of proton, there is negative charge of electron. So here we have to tell the charge on the ion when it loses two electrons.

Complete answer:
Let us first discuss about the subatomic particles as follows:-
-Proton: It is a subatomic particle (denoted by symbol ‘p’ or ‘$p^{+}$ ’) and its electric charge is positive one elementary charge. It has a mass slightly less than the mass of a neutron which is also another neutral subatomic particle. These protons and neutrons with their masses of approximately one atomic mass unit are collectively categorized to be called “nucleons” and together reside in the core of the atom named as nucleus.
-Electrons: The electron is a subatomic particle (denoted by symbol ‘$e^{-}$ ’) and its electric charge is negative one elementary charge. It revolves around the nucleus of the atom and has a mass which is approximately $1/1836$ that of the proton. Both electrons and protons cancel each other's charge to maintain the balance.
-An atom X has 12 protons and 12 electrons, this means it is neutral right now and its atomic number is 12 (as total number of protons is equal to the atomic number of the atom). When this atom loses two electrons, 2 positive charges remain unbalanced and the atom becomes a positively charged ion (cation).
Hence the charge on the ion is +2.
-Now the number of protons and electrons in the ion are as follows:-
Number of protons = 12
Number of electrons= 12-2 = 10.

Note:
-Remember that only electrons can be removed or entered in an atom as it revolves around the nucleus and it is the only species that make reaction possible as it gets transferred from one substance to another.
-Also collectively the total number of protons and neutrons gives the atomic mass number of that atom.