To determine how many magnesium ions would be in the compound, let's follow these steps:
1. Understand the charges of the ions involved:
- Magnesium ion has a charge of +2.
- Chlorine ion has a charge of -1.
2. Determine the ratio needed to balance the charges:
- To balance the charge of one magnesium ion (which is +2), we need enough chlorine ions so that their total negative charge equals -2.
- Each chlorine ion has a charge of -1.
3. Calculate the total number of chlorine ions required to balance one magnesium ion:
- Since each chlorine ion has a charge of -1, and we need a total of -2 to balance the +2 from magnesium, we need 2 chlorine ions.
4. Form the compound:
- In the resulting compound, we would have one magnesium ion and two chlorine ions.
5. Determine the number of magnesium ions in the compound:
- There is 1 magnesium ion required to form the compound with 2 chlorine ions to balance the charges.
So, the compound would have 1 magnesium ion.
