Exemplar Problems

Problem 4 : Predict the type of ion (cation or anion) that magnesium (Mg) is likely to form and explain why.

Solution :

Magnesium (Mg) is likely to form a cation (Mg²⁺) by losing two electrons. This is because magnesium is in Group 2 of the periodic table, and elements in this group tend to lose two electrons to achieve a stable noble gas electron configuration, similar to the noble gas neon (Ne).