Question

How can you tell if an element wants to gain or lose electrons?

Answer 1

Hint: Generally, metals have tendency of losing the electrons and the non metals tend to gain the electrons, and when both of them collaborate, then it leads to the formation of an ionic bond.

Complete step by step answer:
- In order to answer the question, we need to know about electronegativity and electropositivity. In general, metals are said to be electropositive and nonmetals are said to be electronegative. The tendency of an atom to gather electrons from another atom is called electronegativity. It can be an electron or a shared pair of electrons. The transfer of electrons takes place because out of proton, neutron and electron, electron is the only thing that is mobile.
- On moving left to right in a period, the electronegativity increases and as we move top to bottom in a group, the electronegativity is found to decrease. However, electro positivity is the reverse of electronegativity, and hence, follow the opposite trends.
- The concept of electronegativity and electropositivity is used a lot during the formation of ionic compounds. We know that ionic compounds are formed by ionic bonds, and ions, obviously. There is a metal which is electropositive and a non metal that is electronegative. The metal, being electropositive, loses an electron or a group of electrons. These electrons are then used by the non metal, which is electronegative. This is how electrons are shared between a metal and a non metal which results in the formation of an ionic bond. We call the metal’s positively charged ion is cation and the non metals negatively charged ion as anion.
- However, it is not true that all metals are electropositive, and all non metals are electronegative. The gaining or losing of electrons by an atom depends on its stability after gaining or losing.

Note: The exceptions of electronegative non metal is hydrogen. Hydrogen, although being a non metal, loses an electron to form hydronium ion. On the other hand, nitrogen also loses electrons to become positively charged.