I figured this out by listing a bunch of mathematical properties. I couldn't see how the author jumps from zero-preserving to multiply-charges, and I still don't know how, but we can call it out of scope lol

  r : distance between p and q
  q0 : charge 0
  q1 : charge 1
  F : coulomb force function
  charge-commutative: F(r,q0,q1) = F(r,q1,q0)
  zero-preserving: 0 = F(r,q0,0)
  additive-homomorphic: F(r,q0,q1+q2) = F(r,q0,q1)+F(r,q0,q2)
  
  homogenous-degree-1: F(r,q0,n*q1) = n*F(r,q0,q1)
  multiplicative-separability: F(r,q0,q1) = K*R(r)*Q(q0,q1)
  multiply-charges: F(r,q0,q1) = K*R(r)*(q0*q1)^a

  Given F(r,q0,q1) = K*R(r)*(q0*q1)^a, charge-commutative, zero-preserving, additive-homomorphic.
  Induction using additive-homomorphic proves homogenous-degree-1. (For example, F(r,q0,2*q1) = F(r,q0,q1+q1) = 2*F(r,q0,q1))
  Equational proof follows from homogenous-degree-1:
  K*R(r)*(q0*n*q1)^a = n*K*R(r)*(q0*q1)^a
  (q0*n*q1)^a = n*(q0*q1)^a
  n^a*(q0*q1)^a = n*(q0*q1)^a
  n^a = n
  n = 0 or a = 1
  n≠0, therefore a=1.

any dimensional analysis gets consumed by its unknown dimensionality

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> q^2n = (-q)^2n which know is ruled out by experiment.

doesn't mean equation can't be using absolute values ("number of electrons/protons") and just applying needed sign at the end