Magnesium (Mg) is an element with an atomic number of 12, which means it has 12 electrons in its neutral state. However, when magnesium forms an ion, specifically Mg²⁺, it loses two electrons.
To determine the number of electrons in the Mg²⁺ ion, we subtract the number of lost electrons from the total number of electrons in the neutral atom. Therefore:
- Total electrons in neutral Mg: 12
- Electrons lost when forming Mg²⁺: 2
- Electrons in Mg²⁺: 12 – 2 = 10
So, the Mg²⁺ ion has 10 electrons.