Question

How could you describe, in three different ways, the reaction that occurs when heating magnesium and oxygen to form magnesium oxide

Answer 1

For example, when magnesium reacts with oxygen to form magnesium oxide, the magnesium atom loses two electrons to form the Mg2+ cation, which has electronic configuration 2,8. The oxygen atom gains these electrons to form the O2– anion, with electronic configuration 2,8.