What is the Atomic Number of the Cation Formed in the Reaction

Question

What is the atomic number of the cation formed in the reaction illustrated above?
A) 1
B) 8
C) 10
D) 11
E) 16

Accepted Answer

The reaction illustrated above involves the loss of two electrons by sodium, which has an atomic number of 11. When an atom loses electrons, it becomes a cation with a positive charge equal to the number of electrons lost. Therefore, the resulting cation will have an atomic number of 11 - 2 = 9, which corresponds to fluorine. However, the question asks for the atomic number of the cation, not the resulting element. Since cations have a positive charge, the atomic number of the cation will be less than the atomic number of the element. Therefore, the correct answer is D (11 - 2 = 9).