Which two ions are present in the greatest abundance in table salt (NaCl)?

• A. Mg^{2+} and NO_3^-
• B. Na^+ and Cl^-
• C. Ca^{2+} and SO_4^{2-}
• D. K^+ and Br^-

Answer: (B)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Identify the chemical formula of table salt, which is NaCl.
2. Recognize that NaCl is an ionic compound composed of sodium (Na) and chloride (Cl) ions.
3. Understand that in solid NaCl, the ions dissociate into Na^+ (sodium cations) and Cl^- (chloride anions) when dissolved in water.
4. Recall that the ions present in the greatest abundance correspond to the ions that make up the compound itself, which are Na^+ and Cl^-.
5. Compare the given options and select the pair of ions that matches the ions from NaCl, which are Na^+ and Cl^-.