Ionization is the process in which an electron is pulled completely away from an atom, leaving an ion with positive charge. The energy necessary to accomplish this process is called the ionization energy or the ionization potential of the atom. The...

An ion is an atom or group of atoms that has lost or gained one or more electrons. This produces a charged particle, which can be either positive or negative. Normally, an atom is neutrally charged. When negatively charged electrons are lost from an...

An electrically neutral atom becomes an ion through the removal or addition of electrons. A negatively charged ion is called an anion and a positively charged ion is a cation. There are a variety of ways in which atoms can be ionized. Chemical...

An ion is a molecule of atom that carries a net positive or negative electric charge, that is it is not electrically neutral. The word ion is Greek, meaning the ones that move. A neutral atom has equal numbers of protons and electrons, as does a...

A cation is a positively charged ion. The name comes from a 19th century combination of cata (from the Greek for down, kata) and ion. During electrolysis, cations are reduced at the cathode. Cations have all lost one or more electrons, giving them a...

An anion is a negatively charged ion. During electrolysis an anion is attracted to the anode (positive electrode). The name was coined in the 19th century and is a combination of ana (Greek for upwards) and ion. An anion can be a single, negatively...

A molecule or ATOM that is electrically charged, having either gained or lost electrons. A CATION has a positive charge, an ANION has a negative charge. In solution many substances break down into their component parts: common salt—sodium...

Forms of ordinary chemical elements that have gained or lost electrons from their orbit around the atomic nucleus and, thus, have become electrically charged. Positive ions (those that have lost electrons) are called cations because when charged...

An electrically charged atom or group of atoms. This effect is usually occasioned by the loss of one or more electrons, the process being known as ionisation. See also: ANION;...

An ion is an atom or molecule which has lost or gained one or more electrons, making it positively or negatively charged. A negatively charged ion, which has more electrons in its electron shells than it has protons in its nuclei, is known as an anion...