Competency #6
Answer and Explanation
Similarity
- Chlorine atoms and ions each have 17 protons in the nucleus. Without 17 protons in the nucleus, it would not be chlorine!
- Chlorine atoms and ions both have 18-19 neutrons, on average.
Differences
- Chlorine atoms are neutral, while chlorine ions are not. To be neutral, a chlorine atom must have 17 electrons to offset the 17 protons. By contrast, a chlorine ion has 1 additional electron (for a total of 18), giving it an overall charge of –1.
- Chlorine atoms do not have a full outer shell, while chlorine ions do have a full outer shell. Thus chlorine ions are more stable than neutral chlorine atoms.
© 2008 Anne Arundel Community College