Question

Chlorine generally forms:

• A. Anions
• B. Cations
• C. Data Insufficient
• D. Both cations and anions.

Answer 1

The correct option is A

Anions

Chlorine has seven electrons in its outermost shell and it requires one more electron to complete its octet. After gaining an electron, the chlorine atom gets a unit negative charge, because its nucleus has 17 protons and there are 18 electrons in its K, L and M shells. This gives us a chloride anion ${Cl}^{-1}$.