An atom’s electrons actually revolve around the outside of the nucleus in an “electron cloud.”ĭifferent types of atoms have varying shells, or “levels” of revolving electrons. Protons and neutrons are located in the center, or nucleus, of the atom. Atoms consist of positively-charged protons, neutral neutrons, and negatively charged electrons. Ions are formed when two atoms or molecules come into contact with each other and bond together to form a more stable compound. A neutral sodium atom has 11 protons and 11 electrons, but a sodium cation has 11 protons and ten electrons. When an ion contains more electrons than protons, then it’s negatively charged overall and it’s an anion.įor example, a sulfur atom with 16 protons and 16 electrons is simply a neutral sulfur atom, but sulfur commonly gains two electrons to become a sulfur cation with 16 protons and 18 electrons. When an ion contains more protons than electrons, it’s a net positive charge and is considered a cation. The difference between cations and anions is this charge. This means ions have a “charge,” either positive or negative. Ions are particles that do not have a balanced, or neutral, number of positively-charged protons and negatively-charged electrons. This is what you should know about cations and anions, and how they may be affecting your products or business: What are Cations and Anions? While they each have important natural roles to play in chemistry, they can also be a serious problem if they find their way into systems where they are not supposed to belong.
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