Question

How many nitrate ions does a metal draft in to form a metal nitrate?

Answer 1

Well, suppose the metal forms a univalent cation, i.e. `M^+`...

Explanation:

Its nitrate salt drafts in the required numbers of moles of nitrate, `NO_3^(-)`, to achieve neutrality.

And so we could form `KNO_3`, or `NaNO_3`, or `Ca(NO_3)_2`, or `Fe(NO_3)_3`....