Question

Differentiate between sodium atom and sodium ion.

Answer 1

Formation of Sodium ion $\left({\mathrm{Na}}^{+}\right)$ from Sodium atom $\mathbf{\left(}\mathbf{Na}\mathbf{\right)}$:

1. Sodium atom has atomic number $11$. Thus, Sodium atom has $11$ electrons and $11$ protons.
2. The electronic configuration of Sodium is $(2,8,1)$.
3. To acquire eight electrons in the outermost shell i.e. to complete its octet, Sodium atom loses one electron from the outermost shell.
4. This leads to the formation of Sodium ion having one unit of positive charge $\left({\mathrm{Na}}^{+}\right)$.
5. Thus, Sodium ion now has $10$ electrons and $11$ protons. And its electronic configuration is $(2,8)$.

Differentiation between Sodium atom and Sodium ion:

	Sodium atom	Sodium ion
Symbol	$\mathrm{Na}$	${\mathrm{Na}}^{+}$
Number of protons	$11$	$11$
Number of electrons	$11$	$10$
Electronic configuration	$(2,8,1)$	$(2,8)$
Number of valence electrons	$1$	$8$