When the compound BaCl2 forms, what happens to the Ba and Cl ions?

One Ba ion loses two electrons and one Cl gains two electrons.

Two Ba ions lose one electron each and one Cl ion gains two electrons.

One Ba ion loses two electrons and two Cl ions gain one electron each.

Two Ba ions lose one electrons each and two Cl ions gain one electron each.

Question

When the compound BaCl2 forms, what happens to the Ba and Cl ions?

		
One Ba ion loses two electrons and one Cl gains two electrons.
 		
Two Ba ions lose one electron each and one Cl ion gains two electrons.
 		
One Ba ion loses two electrons and two Cl ions gain one electron each.
 		
Two Ba ions lose one electrons each and two Cl ions gain one electron each.

anonymous · Answer

Well, you really just need to think about the number of valence electrons that each of the two reactants have. The one that's closer to 8 will be trying to accept electrons, and the one with fewer will be trying to foist the extras off on someone else.