Cations and Anions: Formation and Naming
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Cations and Anions
When a neutral atom loses one or more electrons, the total number of electrons decreases while the number of protons in the nucleus remains the same. The result is that the atom becomes a cation—an ion with a net positive charge.
The opposite process can also occur. When a neutral atom gains one or more electrons, the number of electrons increases while the number of protons in the nucleus remains the same. The result is that the atom becomes an anion—an ion with a net negative charge.
| H+ | H | H- | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Classification | cation | neutral atom | anion |
| No. of protons | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| No. of electrons | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| Net charge | 1+ | 0 | 1− |
Naming Monatomic Anions
Most often, when we name monatomic anions, we add the suffix -ide to the end of the element's name.