Electron Transfer Party

Why it matters

Sodium hands over its outer electron to chlorine like a desperate gift. The resulting pair stands locked in an electrostatic embrace, forming table salt.

Predict first

Why does sodium give up its electron to chlorine?

Metals lose electrons to empty their valence shell and achieve noble gas configuration; non-metals gain them to fill theirs.

• Sodium wants to achieve a stable octet like neon — correct
• Chlorine is physically larger than sodium
• They share the electron equally to stay neutral
• Sodium is repelled by its own nucleus

What you do

Build sodium — 11 protons, 12 neutrons and 11 electrons (mass number 23) — then remove one electron. Watch the charge flip to +1 and the configuration collapse to a stable 2,8 — the ion half of table salt.

Check yourself

What is the charge on the sodium ion formed?

Na (11p, 11e) loses 1 electron to become Na⁺ (11p, 10e).

Why do Na⁺ and Cl⁻ stick together?

Ionic bonding is the strong electrostatic attraction between oppositely charged ions.

Which species has the same electron configuration as Na⁺?

Na⁺ has 10 electrons, matching the stable configuration of Neon (2,8).

• +1 — correct
• -1
• 0
• +2
• Opposite charges attract electrostatically — correct
• They share a pair of electrons
• Magnetic forces pull them together
• They are identical particles
• Neon (Ne) — correct
• Sodium (Na)
• Chlorine (Cl)
• Argon (Ar)