0
The obvious part of the answer is: "because it loses one electron". Why it loses an electron is what I will explain.
Solid sodium, properly protected from air and moist, or sodium dissolved in some solvents, appears in a neutral Na2 form, but sodium has a single electron in its valence orbital, and that tips the way it works. In water, the scenario changes. Liquid water has OH- and H30+ ions besides the common H2O molecule. H2O and H3O+ [I'm not sure these are both the right molecules] can create stronger bonds, with an electron, than sodium, because that electron will occupy a lower energy orbital; the lowest, actually, the one present in hydrogen. [I can't remember the formula for the reaction and it has been too long for me to know how to write it. Could someone do it?]
You might say that the electron is attracted to the positively charged ion or the polarized molecule, more than it is attracted to sodium, resulting in the loss of an electron from Na, and transforming it into Na+.
If an extremely thorough description is necessary, and ignoring the attraction idea, this is what someone would say to be (almost) absolutely detailed:
A physical system always tends towards the state of least energy and, the position of the electron, in the hydrogen atom, has lower energy than the one in the sodium atom. Bonds between electrons and nuclei are described by quantum physics. The electrons in an orbital are not "in" the orbital, they simply have a higher probability of Manifesting in that orbital: an orbital is a distribution of probabilities; it is nothing like an orbit. The presence of positive ions, or polarized molecules, increases the probability of an electron revealing itself closer to those structures; it reshapes the orbital. Even if this was not the case, there is always the probability that one of the valence electron manifests itself close enough to another molecule, to be captured by the nucleus of one of its atoms. Since that is the state of minimum energy, the electron will have higher probability of staying there. The transference of electrons in the other way also happens but, because the first is more probable than the second, the net result will be that, for all purposes, sodium appears as the Na- ion in water.
What else can I help you with?
What are the charges on the sodium ion and chloride ion after they combine?
When sodium and chloride ions combine to form sodium chloride (table salt), the sodium ion carries a positive 1 charge, and the chloride ion carries a negative 1 charge. The charges balance out in a one-to-one ratio, resulting in a neutral compound.
How many group 17 ions do you need to balance the charge on one sodium ion?
You would need one group 17 ion (e.g. a chloride ion) to balance the charge on one sodium ion, as sodium has a charge of +1 and group 17 ions have a charge of -1.
What is the charge of on the ion sodium?
Sodium loans out an electron to become an ion. That leaves it with an overall charge of +1. It is written as Na+1 or just Na+.
If sodium loses an electron it becomes?
A sodium ion with a positive charge or cation. It becomes Na1+
What is the ion formed by a sodium atom called?
Sodium, Na, is in group 1 of the periodic table, so to achieve a complete valence shell, it forms a cation with a charge of 1, Na1+.
Sodium forms an ion with a charge of what?
Sodium ions have a charge of 1+
Does sodium have an ion with a charge of 1 plus?
Yes, sodium has an ion with a charge of 1+. This ion is formed when sodium loses one electron to achieve a full outer electron shell. It is called a sodium ion or cation.
Predict the charge that an ion of sodium would have?
I predict that an ion of sodium will have a charge of plus one.
Why a sodium ion has a charge of 1 plus?
A sodium ion has a charge of 1+ because it has lost one electron, leaving it with one more proton than electrons. Protons have a positive charge, whereas electrons have a negative charge, so losing an electron results in a net positive charge for the sodium ion.
What is the charge of a sodium ion if it loses 1 electron?
The charge of a sodium ion when it loses 1 electron is +1. Sodium is a group 1 element, so it has 1 electron in its outer shell. When it loses this electron, it becomes a positively charged ion with a charge of +1.
What is the charge of of a sodium ion?
The charge of a sodium ion is +1. Sodium has one electron in its outer shell, which it tends to lose to form a stable, positively charged ion.
Which is larger a sodium atom or sodium ion with a plus 1 charge?
The sodium atom is much bigger than a sodium cation with a plus 1 charge, because the "lost" electron of the ion had a higher principal quantum number than any remaining electron in the ion and therefore was distributed through a larger volume of space than any of the remaining electrons.
What is the charge of a positive sodium ion?
The charge of a positive sodium ion is +1 C.
What charge is found on a sodium ion?
positive charge/ Na+
The monoatomic sodium ion would have a valence of?
The monoatomic sodium ion, Na+, would have a valence of +1. This is because sodium typically loses one electron to achieve a stable electron configuration, resulting in a positive charge of +1.
Does sodium have an ion with the charge of 1?
Yes, Na (Sodium) has a "POSITIVE" Charge of +1.
What is the valence of sodium lauryl sulfate?
The valence of sodium lauryl sulfate is -1, as the sodium ion has a charge of +1 and the sulfate ion has a charge of -2.
