Chemisty Question

[shortnorthstudent]

So, I just got back my microbiology first exam and it had some chemistry on it and I am absolutely confused about one of the questions that was marked wrong. So, please help explain this to me.

Q. Only charged atoms can form ionic bonds.

Answer True or false

I chose false because my understanding is that atoms don't have a charge in their natural state. Once they gain or lose electrons (possibly through that ionic bond) then they become charged. At that stage their protons and electrons are no longer equal and they have a charge.

Professor said that atoms can be charged and basically went on to discuss ionic bonding and electron shells, etc. Well, it's been a while since I learned about electron shells, but my recollection is that atoms that do not have a full outer shell want to either gain or lose electrons so that they are stable and have a complete shell.

So, are atoms charged??

[curlyq28]

I am currently taking a Chem class this summer and from my understanding, charged atoms, which are called ions, are the only kinds that can form ionic bonds.

[shortnorthstudent]

But, is a charged atom still an atom? Isn't it then an ion?

[Chinook2]

It wasn't clear to me what your prof. meant by 'charged atoms' either. A quick google for 'charged atoms' gave me this:

"...has either too many or too few electrons..."

So I'm betting that 'charged atoms' is just another way of saying 'ions', i.e. atoms that have gained or lost electrons. If that's what your prof. means then by definition only ions 'charged atoms' can form ionic bonds. E.g. Na+ and Cl-. So I'd say the answer is true.

[shortnorthstudent]

Yeah. I'm just frustrated because if I had read the question to mean that a charged atom is an ion, then I would have answered it yes. But, when I see Na+ or K+, I don't see an atom, I see an ion - an atom that is no longer an atom. Just like I see an element with two many or two few neutrons as an isotope and not an atom any longer.

I shouldn't get all bound up about one little question. It's not like it's going to make or break my grade. It was worth 2 points out of the total 1000 for the term and I did get a high A even with that one incorrect. I just need to start thinking like my prof for tests.

[Chinook2]

Nah, I totally know where you're coming from. I find poorly worded/ambiguous questions really frustrating. Word on the street is that it'll only get worse in nursing school.

[curlyq28]

I think this is a good way to sum it up: All ions are atoms but not all atoms are ions...

[Jjearkwein]

TRUE your over analyzing the question(which is dangerous btw)...

the definition for an ion is a charged atom,(not because an atom lose an electron its not an atom anymore, same w/ isotopes)

[Intern67]

So, I just got back my microbiology first exam and it had some chemistry on it and I am absolutely confused about one of the questions that was marked wrong. So, please help explain this to me.

Q. Only charged atoms can form ionic bonds.

Answer True or false

I chose false because my understanding is that atoms don't have a charge in their natural state.

You got the question wrong because you chose "atom" as the key concept. However, what an atom is or isn't is not what the question is about.

The most important words in the question are "charged" and "ionic." No charge, no ionic bond.

While I agree that the question was poorly worded, get used to this. It gets orders of magnitude worse in nursing school. It is important to be able to identify the key words and concepts in test questions, as there will often be a lot of distractions thrown in.