When sodium and chlorine atoms combine what happens to the electrons?

Answer 1

The sodium atom, Na, is ionized, giving it's electron to the chlorine, Cl. Therefore, one electron is transferred from the sodium to the chlorine, forming Na+ and Cl- ions and an ionic bond.

Answer 2

Salt...

When sodium and chlorine combine, they form NaCl (Sodium Chloride), which is common table salt. By themselves, the atoms of sodium and chlorine are unstable and highly reactive, but when the one electron transfers to the chlorine atom, the atoms become stable. The transfer of the electron causes an exothermic reaction, which produces a large amount of heat and a bright yellow flame.

Answer 3

The sodium loses an electron, giving it to the chlorine. This gives the sodium an overall positive charge and the chlorine an overall negative charge (becoming chloride). Because of these new charges, the two particles are attracted to each other, a little bit (but not totally) like magnets.

Answer 4

Sodium transfers it one valence electron to chlorine. This gives the chlorine ion 8 valence electrons and sodium zero. Sodium is stable because when it loses it one valence electron it has the electron configuration of Neon which has a full octet.

Answer 5

Although not strictly speaking an "exchange", typically when the electron interaction happens with a sodium and chlorine atom, it follows the "ionic bond" model, the highly electronegative chlorine atom will cause the sodium atom to 'donate' its single outer shell electron to the chlorine atom, acquire an overall negative charge, and attract the now positive sodium ion, and the two atoms thus become a sodium chloride molecule.