Answer to Question #143356 in General Chemistry for Jerrod Lindsey

Question

based on the lewis /electron dot representation of the two atoms predict the ratio of metal

Answer 1

To predict the ratio of metal to nonmetal anionic atom in a compound, you need to know how many times the metal needs to give out its valence electrons to balance the non metal or otherwise.

An example is an Aluminum and Chlorine compound

Aluminum has 3 valence electrons to give out to the non-metal to be stable, but Chlorine only needs one electron to be stable. For Chlorine to be able to accept the 3 electron from Aluminum, there needs to be three of it.

Therefore, 1 Aluminum atom gives out its electrons to 3 Chlorine atoms for both elements to be balanced and stable, making the ratio of Aluminum to Chlorine 1:3

I hope this is understandable.