Ions Losing and Gaining Electrons

In chemical reachons, atoms often lose or gain electrons to form charged particles called ions. Eor example, neutral hthium (Li) atoms contain 3 protons and 3 electrons however, in reactions, lithium atoms lose one electron (e ) to form Li ions. 

The Li ion contains 3 protons but only 2 electrons, resulting in a net charge of 

Ion charges are usually written with the magnitude of the charge first followed by the sign of the charge. For example, a positive two charge is written as 

and a negative two charge is written as 2-. The charge of an ion depends on how many electrons were gained or lost and is given by the formula  

Neutral fluorine (F) atoms contain 9 protons and 9 electrons however, in chemical reactions fluorine atoms gain 1 electron to form F ions  

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The Properties of Protons, Neutrons, and Electrons 97 4.7 Ions Losing and Gaining Electrons 106 ... 

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