Question

A particular atom becomes more energetically stable when it loses a single electron. It is most likely an atom of which of the following elements?

Answer 1

group 1

Answer 2

remember that an element wants to have an octet of electrons around itself, thus if an element is stable by losing one electron, group 1 is the logical deduction

Answer 3

There are no elements that become more energetically stable when they lose an electron. By definition, the most stable possible arrangement of electrons is the one the atom is in naturally -- a neutral atom.

So this question has no answer.

However, what I'm guessing the person who (carelessly) wrote the question MEANT to ask is: which atoms become the least UNSTABLE when they lose a single electron? Or, which atoms do you need the least energy to ionize to a +1 cation (remove one electron? In that case, the answer is the Group 1A metals.