Rubidium forms the positive ion Rb+. Does this ion have more or fewer electrons than the neutral atom?

Rubidium forms the positive ion (Rb+) because it has fewer electrons than the neutral atom.

HOW DOES AN ATOM BECOME POSITIVELY CHARGED:

An atom is the smallest indivisible particle of an element. It consists of three subatomic particles namely: proton, electron and neutron. Proton is the positively charged component (+) while electron is the negatively charged component (-). The proton and electron number is equal in a neutral atom. An atom becomes positively charged when it loses electrons. The number of protons becomes more in a positively charged atom. For example, Rubidium forms the positive ion (Rb+) because it has fewer electrons than the neutral atom.

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The ion has fewer electrons

Explanation:

As Rubidium forms a positive ion Rb⁺ the number of electrons becomes fewer for the atom.

A positive charge on an ion indicates that the number of protons for the atom is greater than the number of electrons. This leaves a net positive charge on the atom.For a negatively charged ion, the number of electrons is more than the number of protons because they have gained additional electrons. In a neutral atom, the number of protons and electrons are the same.

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