A mass spectrometer detects an unknown gaseous cation that has exactly 54 electrons. The instrument also determines independently that the ion carries a net charge of +2e.
(You may assume the element is found in the first six rows of the periodic table.)
(a) Determine the atomic number of the element and identify the element by name.
(b) How many electrons would be present in a neutral atom of this element? Explain the relationship between your answer in part (a) and this result.
(c) The same element is also observed in the spectrometer as a +3e ion. How many electrons does the +3e ion contain?
(d) For the +2e and +3e ions, compare their electron–proton ratios and discuss qualitatively how this difference might affect their respective circular orbital radii in a Bohr-type model of a one-electron ion (no calculation required).