What are ions?

What are ions?

• A. Ions are atoms or molecules that have gained or lost one or more electrons, resulting in a net electrical charge.
• B. Ions are atoms that have the same number of protons and electrons.
• C. Ions are neutral particles in a chemical reaction.
• D. Ions are molecules with fixed shapes.

Answer: (A)

Ions are atoms or molecules that have gained or lost one or more electrons, resulting in a net electrical charge. Because electrons carry negative charge, removing electrons leaves a positive charge, while adding electrons gives a negative charge. This charged state is what makes ions behave differently from neutral atoms and allows them to form ionic bonds, move as mobile charges in solution, and conduct electricity when dissolved or molten. For example, sodium loses an electron to become Na+, a positively charged ion, while chlorine gains an electron to become Cl-, a negatively charged ion. If an atom kept the same number of protons and electrons, there would be no net charge, so it wouldn’t be an ion. Neutral particles and molecules with fixed shapes are not defining features of ions.

Ions are atoms or molecules that have gained or lost one or more electrons, resulting in a net electrical charge. Because electrons carry negative charge, removing electrons leaves a positive charge, while adding electrons gives a negative charge. This charged state is what makes ions behave differently from neutral atoms and allows them to form ionic bonds, move as mobile charges in solution, and conduct electricity when dissolved or molten. For example, sodium loses an electron to become Na+, a positively charged ion, while chlorine gains an electron to become Cl-, a negatively charged ion. If an atom kept the same number of protons and electrons, there would be no net charge, so it wouldn’t be an ion. Neutral particles and molecules with fixed shapes are not defining features of ions.