It has been a long time since i took the principles of chemistry and am currently retaking them. i just want to verify.
I am asked:
What ions are present in the compound Mg3N2?
i know that 1 mg contains 2 anions and N contains 3 anions if i am not mistaken. does all this mean that i just multiply the 2 Mg anions by 3 and get 6 anions for Mg and 6 anions for N for a total of 12 anions?
2007-09-21 04:15:13 · 4 answers · asked by john s 3 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Chemistry
Mg^+2 and N^-3 are the ions present in one molecule of Mg3N2. 3 atoms of Mg and 2 atoms of N combine. Mg^+2 are cations (positive) and N^-3 are anions (negative).
2007-09-21 04:27:56 · answer #1 · answered by Swamy 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
What do you mean by "1 mg contains 2 anions and N contains 3 anions"?
Magnesium is an atom. An anion is an atom with a charge. So what you're saying is that an atom contains 2 atoms and another atom contains 3 atoms. This doesn't make sense.
What you meant to say was that Magnesium typically has a charge of -2, making it an anion (this would be wrong too, but not AS wrong as before). Magnesium usually carries a charge of +2, because in its ground state (electron number equals proton number), it has 2 electrons in its outermost shell. Since atoms want to have a full outer shell (usually, this means 8 electrons), they can either fill up their current shell by adding electrons, or empty their current shell by giving electrons away. In either situation, the outermost (valence) shell becomes full.
It's much easier to see how the valence shell becomes full by adding electrons -- you're simply "filling" it. But it's weird to think of the outer shell becoming full by emptying it. Well that's because there are layers of shells, kinda like an onion. So when you have only 2 electrons in the valence shell, then it's easier to release them and default to the next layer, which would be full.
Magnesium releases the two valence electrons so that the shell below, a full one, will become outermost. When an atom loses 2 electrons, it becomes positive with a charge of +2. This is called a Cation, not an Anion.
The rest of your question has been explained by others so I won't bother.
2007-09-21 11:37:50 · answer #2 · answered by jibba.jabba 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
firstly Mg remains in cation form in the ionic lattice.if you are trying to find out the justification for the formula then note that valency of Mg is 2 and that of nitride is 3. so 3 magnesium ions combine with 2 nitride ions to form magnesium nitride.there is no reason to do what you suggest for they are all wrong. magnesium does not contain two atoms in its molecule and nitride is not an atom but a radical.
2007-09-21 11:27:42 · answer #3 · answered by soumyo 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Is there a possible reaction between N and Mg?
2014-02-04 08:16:57 · answer #4 · answered by petya 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋