How do you find the charge on the complex ion?

How do I find the charge of an ion and number of electrons?

• For example Sulfur ion: amu = 33 atomic# = 16 # of neutrons = 17 the charge is 2 - right? How do I find the number of electrons? How do you know that? Can you help with potassium ion, chlorine ion, and oxygen ion? Thanks

• Answer:

  Hi Jb 3020, http://www.ptable.com/?lang=en A = 33 . . . . . . 33 nucleons . . . ! Z = 16 . . . . . . 16 protons in nucleus . . . therefore 16 electrons for atom . . . ! N = 17 . . . . . . 17 neutrons . . . ! . . . therefore : Z = 16 . . . therefore . . . the element is S . . . (Sulfur . . . !) The charge is (2-) . . . this means that S gains 2 electrons . . . ! Number of electrons is 16 + 2 = 18 . . . ! We obtain ion Sulfide S(2-) Potassium ion : ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ ¯¯ A = 39 Z = 19 N = 20 Potassium ion is K(+) with 19 - 1 = 18 electrons . . . ! Chlorine ion : ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ A = 35 Z = 17 N = 18 Chlorine ion is Cl(-) with 17 + 1 = 18 electrons . . . ! Oxygen ion : ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ A = 16 Z = 8 N = 8 Oxygen ion is O(2-) with 8 + 2 = 10 electrons . . . !