[pussycatjayne]

Hi I've been given this question   and I've been looking at it for hours without any joy so alas I need your expertise to help me  

"Q: Sodium Bromide, the symbols for the elements in this compound are 23Na, 79Br and 81Br

Write an equation to show the reaction between sodium and bromine to form sodium bromide, and explain what is happening during the reaction to the valance electrons."


Me: I really want to be able to understand this as well as get it right so if someone could also just give me a bit of lamens terms explanation so I can understand how the correct answer was achieved that'd be fabulous


Charotte xx

[Dan]

1. Look up the formula for sodium bromide. Can you write a balanced equation for sodium + bromine -> sodium bromide? It should not be necessary to specify isotopes of Br (79 and 81), they can be added later if necessary but for now ignore it and use Na and Br as your symbols and see what you can come up with.

2. In terms of valence electrons, read about the octet rule. The wikipedia page gives the example of sodium chloride, which is very similar to sodium bromide in the context of this question.

[bidiboom]

I, in general, have an inclination to perceive the relations of atoms like the relations of humans The elements at leftmost column of the periodic table have something ready to share in hand, one electron, but they are alone .. and the elements at rightmost side of the periodic table (the ones right before the "completed elements", the noble gases)  the will be complete with someone, and in need of that one electron to be complete.. whenever they see each other, they say thats!.. and they feel completed with each other

Many things in chemistry is acting like humans

PS: With "rightmost elements" I dont mean the noble gas elements, I mean halogens.. the actual rightmost ones are noble gases, but they are so complete that we dont see them active.. so I put them aside as "complete elements".   

[vmelkon]

Sodium is a solid metal (room temp) and you can consider it as monoatomic (single atoms).
Bromine is a liquid and exist as Br2 (diatomic). All halogens are diatomic.

So the equation will be

2 Na + Br2 => complete the equation