Ions
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Re: Ions
victoria1l wrote:When given a formula with a charge, how do we know which atom to apply the charge to?
Hi Victoria!
Is this what you mean,
if there was a charge on a molecule such as a tetrahydroborate ion- BH4^- or otherwise known as [BH4]^-
you give the charge to the whole molecule so:
Boron has= 3 electrons
Hydrogen has=1(4) electrons
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7 electrons
+ 1 electron because of the - if there was a + then you would subtract
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8 electrons
thus, the structure would look like
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Re: Ions
The extra electron isn't really designated to a specific atom. You just have to account for the extra electron when you're adding up all the valence electrons in the molecule and then draw the structure the same way you would draw any other structure. Also, just put brackets around the structure with the total charge on the outside corner to clearly note that the molecule has a charge.
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