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[Alyssa Orantes 2D]

How do we determine the notation for elements that are Cu+2 or Cu+? What is the significance behind it?

[Steven Tjandra 1B]

So electrons are negatively charged. We say they have a charge of -1. At ground state, atoms are considered neutral, so they have the same amount of electrons and protons, so the positive and negatives cancel out to have a overall charge of zero. But when we add an extra electron, we have an additional charge of -1 which is why we put that little -1 there. For +1, that means we've lost an electron, so there's one extra proton, which of course has a positive charge. So Cu2+ has lost two electrons and Cu+ has lost only one.

++++++,
Steven

[Brian Kim 1L]

Hey Alyssa, I think by notation, you're referring to the electron configuration of the two copper ions. For Cu, the electron configuration would be [Ar] 3d10 4s1. However, in Cu+, the copper atom loses an electron, which in this case means it will lose the 4s shell ([Ar] 3d10). A similar trend would occur for Cu2+, which would then become [Ar] 3d9.

[Daniel P 3J]

The notation for elements with different oxidation states, such as Cu+2 and Cu+, is determined by the number of electrons gained or lost. Cu+2 indicates that copper has lost two electrons and has a +2 charge, while Cu+ means copper has lost one electron and has a +1 charge. These notations are significant because they represent how elements achieve stable electron configurations by gaining or losing electrons, influencing their chemical behavior and reactivity.