Questions: In neutral atoms, the number of protons and electrons is equal. Since protons are assigned a +1 charge and electrons are assigned a -1 charge, the atom with equal amounts of protons and electrons is neutral. In ions, this is not so. In ions, the number of protons and electrons are either gained or lost electrons. So, if lithium, Li, is written as Li+, you know that lithium has lost one electron. In losing one electron, lithium will have one proton more than its number of electrons, producing an offset of +1 in charge. Ions can have a variety of charges, such as +, -, +2, -2 and so on. (For +1 and -1 charges the "1" is sometimes not written and only the + and - are written.) Remember: When ions are formed only electrons are added or removed. The number of protons cannot be changed. Doing so would change the identity of the element (as is done in a nuclear reaction). It is always electrons being added or removed from an atom to form an ion. Fill in the blanks to determine the number of protons and electrons in an oxygen ion. (Consult the periodic table to determine the number of protons in a neutral oxygen atom.) The O^2- ion has protons and electrons. Express your answers as integers separated by a comma. If a neutral atom gains or loses electrons, it will become a charged particle called an ion. Cations have a positive charge, and anions have a negative charge. For example, the figure below depicts a sodium atom becoming a 1+ cation by losing one electron, and a chlorine atom becoming a 1- anion by gaining an electron. After which, the sodium cation has a total of 10 electrons and the chloride anion has a total of 18 electrons.

Transcript text: In neutral atoms, the number of protons and electrons is equal. Since protons are assigned a +1 charge and electrons are assigned a -1 charge, the atom with equal amounts of protons and electrons is neutral. In ions, this is not so. In ions, the number of protons and electrons are either gained or lost electrons. So, if lithium, Li, is written as Li$^+$, you know that lithium has lost one electron. In losing one electron, lithium will have one proton more than its number of electrons, producing an offset of +1 in charge. Ions can have a variety of charges, such as +, -, +2, -2 and so on. (For +1 and -1 charges the "1" is sometimes not written and only the + and - are written.) Remember: When ions are formed only electrons are added or removed. The number of protons cannot be changed. Doing so would change the identity of the element (as is done in a nuclear reaction). It is always electrons being added or removed from an atom to form an ion. Fill in the blanks to determine the number of protons and electrons in an oxygen ion. (Consult the periodic table to determine the number of protons in a neutral oxygen atom.) The O$^{2-}$ ion has ____ protons and ____ electrons. Express your answers as integers separated by a comma. If a neutral atom gains or loses electrons, it will become a charged particle called an ion. Cations have a positive charge, and anions have a negative charge. For example, the figure below depicts a sodium atom becoming a 1+ cation by losing one electron, and a chlorine atom becoming a 1- anion by gaining an electron. After which, the sodium cation has a total of 10 electrons and the chloride anion has a total of 18 electrons.