How do you find the energy level of an element?

Electron Energy - Level Diagram for Ions Question?

• I understand how to do electron energy - level diagrams for ions. For example, Aluminum = Al3+ --> 13p+ ----> 2e- ----> 8e- Because Al has 3+ Ions, it would cancel out 3 of the 13 electrons that are present, so you are only going up to 10. But what do you do for a element like Hydrogen, which has a 1+ and a 1- Which one do you use? Thanks. Also, just to make sure, Protons has the same number as electrons right? And to find neutrons, you just need to subtract the protons from the total mass(Molar Mass) to get the neutron and vice versa? Thanks.

• Answer:

  Hydrogen can lose one electron (like sodium and potassium) to form an H+ cation (comprising only of a proton) to react with nonmetals like F, O, Cl etc. It can also gain 1 electron like halogens to form anions to react with strong metals like sodium. this is an exceptional behavior. Nitrogen, too can act like this(NO2, NH3), however the bonding is not much ionic like that of H. H usually forms H+ with other elements and can form H- ion only with strong metals. This depends on the electronegativity of elements. --- Yes, in a neutral atom, protons have same number as electrons and this number of protons is its atomic number. Only appropriately correct if you consider molecular mass, because the mass of proton is slightly less than nuetron. But if you consider mass number (which is just the sum of protons and neutrons) that is 100% correct.