A cation is formed when an atom loses one or more electrons. Which of the following statements is true?

A cation is formed when an atom loses one or more electrons. Which of the following statements is true?

• A. A cation is formed when an atom gains electrons.
• B. A cation is formed when an atom shares electrons in a bond.
• C. A cation is formed when an atom loses one or more electrons.
• D. A cation is formed when an atom gains protons.

Answer: (C)

When an atom loses electrons, the balance shifts toward more protons than electrons, giving a positive overall charge. That positively charged ion is called a cation, so the statement is true: a cation forms when an atom loses one or more electrons. Gaining electrons creates a negatively charged ion (an anion), not a cation. Sharing electrons in a bond describes covalent bonding and does not by itself produce a charged ion. Gaining protons would change the element itself and is not how ions form in normal chemical processes.

When an atom loses electrons, the balance shifts toward more protons than electrons, giving a positive overall charge. That positively charged ion is called a cation, so the statement is true: a cation forms when an atom loses one or more electrons.

Gaining electrons creates a negatively charged ion (an anion), not a cation. Sharing electrons in a bond describes covalent bonding and does not by itself produce a charged ion. Gaining protons would change the element itself and is not how ions form in normal chemical processes.