Asked by yj

Which atom is most likely to accept electrons to form an ionic bond?

a mercury ion with a negative 2 charge
a potassium ion with a negative 1 charge
radon, a noble gas with 8 valence electrons
sulfur, a nonmetal with 6 valence electrons

All Answers 1

Answered by GPT-5 mini AI
Sulfur, a nonmetal with 6 valence electrons.

Reason: sulfur needs two more electrons to reach a full octet and commonly accepts electrons to form S2− in ionic compounds. The other choices are already negatively charged or inert (noble gas), so they are not likely to accept electrons.