What is "CATIONS" and "ANIONS"?

2 Answers
Apr 9, 2018

They are ions of course...

Explanation:

Ions are charged elements or molecules, which do not have a neutral #(0)# charge.

Cations are ions that have a positive charge, #+1,+2+3,...#, and they are usually not electronegative, meaning that they are metals, and lie at the left side of the periodic table.

Anions are ions that have a negative charge, #-1,-2,-3,...#, and are elements that are more electronegative, and usually are non-metals, which therefore means that they lie at the right side of the periodic table.

Note that polyatomic ions exist, such as ammonium #(NH_4^+)# and carbonate ions #(CO_3^(2-))#.

Apr 9, 2018

They are elements that have gained or lost electrons.

Explanation:

When an element wishes to become stable (Have a full outer electron shell or valence shell) they will either gain or lose electrons (A subatomic particle in atoms).

When they lose electrons they lose electrons they become a cation, because there is more protons than electrons, so the have a positive charge.

When they gain electrons they become an anion, because they have more electrons compared to protons, so they then have a negative charge.

I remember the difference by cation has a cat and everyone likes cats, so it is positive. And anion sounds like onion and onions make you cry, so they are negative.

Nobel gases don't count as they are already stable.