A materials scientist is analysing an unknown ionic solid. The letters in the table are labels, not chemical symbols.
| Label | Electronic structure |
|---|---|
| L | 2.8.1 |
| M | 2.8.6 |
| N | 2.8.3 |
| O | 2.8.7 |
The solid contains positive and negative ions in a ratio of 2:3. A student suggests that the solid is made from L and O, because L has one outer electron to lose and O needs one more electron to fill its outer shell.
Use the electronic structures to determine which two labels represent the elements in the solid, and write its formula using the labels.
Explain why the student's suggestion is not supported by the data.
122 exam-style questions on OCR GCSE Chemistry 2.2 Bonding, covering 2.2.1 Metals, non-metals and the Periodic Table, 2.2.2 Types of chemical bonding and dot and cross diagrams, 2.2.3 Limitations of bonding models, and 2.2.4 Reactivity, atomic number and the modern Periodic Table. Each one has a worked solution and a mark scheme showing where the marks go.