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Atoms always want to have 8 electrons in their outer shell. Calcium only has two so its easier for it to give those away than to aquire 6 more. When these electrons are gone, that "shell" no longer exists so its got 8.

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16y ago

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Why might a calcium atom want to lose the two electrons in its outer orbital?

Having just 18 electrons make Calcium nobel.


Number of valence electrons calcium lose?

The calcium atom (Ca) loses two valence electrons to form a calcium ion (Ca2+).


What is the number of electrons a calcium atom must gain or lose to have 8 valence electrons?

A calcium atom must lose 2 electrons to have 8 valence electrons, achieving a full outer shell and stability. Calcium is in group 2 of the periodic table, so it has 2 valence electrons originally. By losing 2 electrons, it will have a stable electron configuration similar to a noble gas.


Will the valence electrons of calcium give or take away electrons?

The valence electrons of calcium will tend to give away electrons, as it is an alkaline earth metal with two valence electrons. This makes it more energetically favorable for calcium to lose these two electrons and achieve a full outer electron shell by forming a 2+ cation.


What is the name of electrons in the outer most shell that an atom can gain lose or share with another atom?

Electrons in the outer most shell are called Valence Electrons.


How many electrons will calcium lose when forming an ion?

Calcium will lose 2 electrons when forming a Ca2+ ion. This is because calcium has 2 electrons in its outer shell, and it is energetically favorable for it to lose these electrons to achieve a stable octet configuration.


If calcium is most happy with a charge of 2 how many electrons would it have?

The neutral atom of calcium has 20 electrons; the cation Ca2+ has 18 electrons.


How many valence electrons will calcium gain or lose to fill its outer shell?

A calcium atom will normally lose its two valence electrons, which have principal quantum number 4, to a more electronegative atom when forming a compound. When this happens, the already filled electron shell with principal quantum number 3 becomes the outer shell of the resulting calcium cation, and this cation has the electronic structure of the noble gas preceding calcium in the periodic table, neon


If an atom has 3 electrons how many electrons are in the outer shell Will it be more likely to acquire or lose an electron?

If an atom has three electrons, it will have one valence electron (valance = outer shell). It will be more likely to lose an electron than gain one, since it has only one to lose, but seven to gain.


How many electrons will a calcium atom Ca lose in order to get a noble gas configuration?

Calcium will lose two electrons to gain the noble gas configuration of Argon.


How many electrons does the calcium ion lose from an atom?

A calcium ion (Ca2+) loses two electrons from an atom to achieve a stable octet electron configuration. This results in a +2 charge on the calcium ion.


How many electrons would calcium have to lose or gain to have to have 8 valence electrons?

Calcium would need to lose 2 electrons to have 8 valence electrons. This is because calcium has 2 valence electrons in its outer shell, and by losing these 2 electrons, it can achieve a stable octet configuration like the noble gas argon.