Question

how many electrons does chlorine need to gain to become an ion? will it become positively charged cation or negatively charged anion?

Answer 1

Chlorine becomes a negatively charged chloride anion after gaining one electron, fulfilling the octet rule for energy stability.

Step-by-step explanation:

Chlorine needs to gain one electron to become an ion. When a chlorine atom gains an electron, it has one more electron than protons, resulting in a negatively charged chloride anion with a net charge of -1, denoted as Cl-. Chlorine has seven electrons in its outermost shell and needs only one more to fulfill the octet rule and achieve a stable noble gas configuration like argon. This process is termed electron transfer, where chlorine becomes energetically more stable.

Answer 2

One electron and it becomes negatively charged