How Do Iodine and Chloride Ions Interact in a Vacuum?

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Iodine and chloride ions, both carrying a -1 charge, interact in a vacuum at a distance of 2.0 x 10^-9 m. The force between them can be calculated using Coulomb's law, and the electric field experienced by the iodine ion due to the chloride ion can be determined using the electric field formula. The electric field vector points towards the chloride ion, as it is the source of the field. To achieve an electric field strength that is 1/64 of the original, the chloride ion must be moved away by a factor of 8. Understanding the charges and the relevance of mass in this context is crucial for solving the problem.
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An iodine (-1) and a chloride ion (-1) interact in a vaccum.

a. What is the force which each exerts on the other from a distance of 2.0 x 10^-9 m?

b. What is the eletric field that the iodine ion experiences from the chloride ion? toward which ion does the electrical field vector point?

c. By what factor must the chloride ion be moved so that it experiences 1/64 of the electric field iodine ion as in part b?

This is work from the spring that I am finishing up and I can not rember how to go about solving this problem. Could someone please help me? I just need a poitn in the right direction.

I am pretty sure that the forces they exert on each other would be equal but beyond that I am not sure how to go about the problem.
 
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The force between two charges is given by:

F=\frac{1}{4\pi\epsilon_0}\frac{Q_1Q_2}{r^2}

and the electric field for a point charge is given by:

E=\frac{Q}{4\pi\epsilon_0r}

just a case of plugging in the numbers.
 
so does that mean my force would be = 5.77 X 10^-11
 
Something around that magnitude. Remember your units when handing your answer in.
 
should my Q1 and my Q2 have the same number because they both have a negative charge?
 
I'm not sure what you mean but I assume that you're talking of parts a and b and they will have opposite signs because both ions are negatively charged.
 
avb203796 said:
should my Q1 and my Q2 have the same number because they both have a negative charge?

I guess what I am trying to figure out is what the Q1 and Q2 are in the force formula?
 
Oh I see. Yes Q1 and Q2 will be the same value because both ions have a negative charge of one.
 
so then the mass of the ions is irrelevent? because my teacher did say as a hint to remember that ion charges are multiples of the charge on an electron, and their masses in atomic weights are multiples of the mass of a proton
 
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No mass is needed in this problem as far as I can see.
 

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