A sodium atom forms a sodium cation (Na+) by losing its outermost electron, leaving behind a stable octet configuration in the L shell. This results in a net positive charge since the number of protons (11) remains the same while the number of electrons decreases to 10.
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A sodium atom forms a sodium cation (Na⁺) by losing its outermost electron. Sodium, located in Group 1 of the periodic table, has one electron in its outermost energy level (3s¹). To achieve a stable, noble gas electron configuration similar to neon, sodium readily donates this lone electron. Upon losing the electron, sodium becomes a positively charged ion (Na⁺), with a completed electron configuration resembling that of a noble gas. This cationic state reflects sodium’s tendency to achieve a more stable, lower-energy configuration by giving up its outer electron during chemical reactions, typically forming ionic compounds with nonmetals.