"Explain how potassium ions are formed. Your answer should refer to the octet rule, include electron configuration or electron dot drawings (as used in the lecture notes), and indicate whether potassium ions are classified as anions or cations."

 

This is the question I have been given and I'm a bit lost. I've read that the elements change their electrons to be like the nearest noble gas but potassium is so far away from the gases I'm not sure which one... or if that's even right to begin with..

 

Any sort of help in this area would be greatly appreciated

an Ion (any Ion) is simply where it has the same Nucleus as the atom in question, but the electron count is different.

also Potassium isn`t THAT far away from a Nobel gas! what comes after Argon?

Have another glance at your periodic table. K is rather 'far away' from Kr, which is the next noble gas as you add electrons.

 

How about taking them away? Write down the structure of K, and knock out the valence electron. Should look awfully familiar.

I've read that the elements change their electrons to be like the nearest noble gas but potassium is so far away from the gases I'm not sure which one... or if that's even right to begin with..

This is what's termed the octet rule and applies to light elements (things can be a bit squiffy once you get past the d block). These elements are stable when they have eight valence electrons (ns2 np6), achieved through either 'covalent' or 'ionic' bonding - classic examples being elemental carbon (carbon surrounded by four other carbons, bonded covalently) and salt (an ionic lattice of NaCl).

I guess if you don't know what an ion is you don't understand the basics.

1) All solids, liquids and gases are made of atoms.

2)These atoms are seen in the Periodic Table.

3) If you look at any single atom, e.g. potassium, it contains a middle bit which is positive and has negative bits circulating it.

4) The middle bit, called a nucleus has positive protons, the negative bits are called electrons.

5) The nucleus also has neutrons without a charge which may be holding protons together because of the repulsion caused by the positive charges pushed together in a small space.

6) In any atom (not ions), the number of protons and electrons must be the same to balance each other out.

7) Nobel gases seem to be pretty stable and contain 8 electrons in their outer shell.

8) Go figure how many electrons a potassium atom must lose to become a charged particle called an ion?