When a cation is formed from a representative element ________.
A)electrons are gained and the ion is larger
B)electrons are gained and the ion is smaller
C)electrons are lost and the ion is larger
D)electrons are lost and the ion is smaller
E)the cation acquires a negative charge

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

When a cation is formed from a representative element, electrons are lost from the outermost shell, leading to a decrease in the size of the ion. This is because the number of protons in the nucleus remains the same, while the number of electrons decreases, causing the attractive force between the electrons and the nucleus to increase, pulling the remaining electrons closer to the nucleus. Therefore, the correct answer is D.

When a Cation Is Formed from a Representative Element ________