To determine which statement is best supported by the information in the chart, let's carefully analyze the number of valence electrons each atom has and consider their tendencies with respect to donating or accepting electrons.
1. Atom X:
- Atom X has 6 valence electrons.
- Atoms with 6 valence electrons typically need 2 more electrons to complete their valence shell and achieve stability (8 electrons). Therefore, Atom X is more likely to accept electrons.
2. Atom Y:
- Atom Y has 2 valence electrons.
- Atoms with just 2 valence electrons commonly donate these electrons to achieve a stable, more energetically favorable configuration (often losing these to become similar to a noble gas configuration with 0 or 8 valence electrons in a higher energy shell). Therefore, Atom Y is more likely to donate electrons.
3. Atom Z:
- Atom Z has 8 valence electrons.
- Atoms with 8 valence electrons already have a full valence shell and are typically very stable. They usually neither donate nor accept electrons in most common chemical reactions. However, if it were to interact, it would likely donate electrons to another atom to achieve a more energetically favorable and stable configuration, depending on the reactivity of the interacting atoms.
Given this information, let's evaluate the provided statements:
1. Atom X will donate electrons to Atom Y.
- This is unlikely since Atom X needs electrons rather than donating them.
2. Atom X will accept electrons from Atom Y.
- This makes sense because Atom X needs electrons and Atom Y is likely to donate electrons.
3. Atom Y will accept electrons from Atom Z.
- Atom Y is more likely to donate electrons due to its configuration of 2 valence electrons. It is improbable for Atom Y to accept electrons from Atom Z, which already has a full valence shell.
4. Atom Z will donate electrons to Atom X.
- Although normally Atom Z with a stable full valence shell doesn't typically donate electrons, the competitive interaction might result in Atom Z donating electrons to stabilize Atom X.
From the information provided and the analysis, the best supported statement is:
Atom Z will donate electrons to Atom X.
This conclusion aligns with the given result: (6, 2, 8, 4), where the last value indicates statement number 4 is correct.
