an ion of oxygen contains eight protons and has a charge of 2-. what must occur for this ion to become a neutral oxygen atom?

A neutral oxygen atom must have 8 protons and 8 electrons, so the 2− oxygen ion (which has 8 protons and 10 electrons) must lose two electrons to become neutral.

Quick Scoop: What’s Going On?

An ion of oxygen contains eight protons and has a charge of 2−. What must occur for this ion to become a neutral oxygen atom?

• Oxygen’s atomic number is 8, so it always has 8 protons in the nucleus.
• A 2− charge means it has 2 more electrons than protons , so this ion has 10 electrons.
• A neutral atom has equal numbers of protons and electrons.

So, to go from O²⁻ (10 electrons) to neutral O (8 electrons), the ion must lose 2 electrons.

Mini Story: Thinking of It Like Balancing a Scale

Imagine protons as +8 on one side of a scale and electrons as −10 on the other.
The total is −2. To get the scale to balance at 0 (neutral), you need to remove 2 negatives (2 electrons), bringing it to −8, matching the +8.

Final Answer in One Line

The O²⁻ ion must lose two electrons to become a neutral oxygen atom.