what would you classify the element Mg ie Magnesium, an ATOM OR ION. I was told an ION. MY QUESTION IS WHY?

Answer 1

Elements are neutral atoms with /_\G=0 in their standard states.

Answer 2

Well if it is Mg2+ an ion. If the listed just Mg then atom. It depends on how it was asked. They key is the charge. Look at it in the periodic table, see how it is there. Charged molecules are ions. Ions are groups of atoms. Elemental Mg occurs as an ion because it is charged.
check this out:
Ion
An atom or group of atoms that bears an electric charge. Positively charged ions are called cations, and negatively charged ions are called anions. When a single atom gains or loses an electron, monoatomic ions are formed. For example, reaction of the element sodium (Na) with the element chlorine (Cl) leads to the transfer of electrons from Na to Cl to form Na+ cations and Cl− anions. In general, atoms of metallic elements (on the left side of the periodic table) lose electrons to form cations, while atoms of nonmetallic atoms (on the right side of the periodic table) gain electrons to form anions. Ions can bear multiple charges, as in the magnesium ion (Mg2+) or the nitride ion (N3−).

Mg2+ is the fourth most abundant metal ion in cells (in moles) and the most abundant free divalent cation — as a result it is deeply and intrinsically woven into cellular metabolism.

Answer 3

It is both. It is an atom in that it represents an element in the periodic table. But in chemical reactions how it reacts depends on how it behaves as an ion where electrons are stripped or received. Normally, the ion would be Mg+ to indicate the readiness to combine.

Answer 4

An ion is the one which loses or gains elcetrons while bond formation.Magnesium, Mg is an ion since it loses 2 elctrons to give mg2+ ion.

Mg2+ -Mg2+ + 2e