What happens when an atom gains or loses an electron?
Explanation: When an atom gains/loses an electron, the atom becomes charged, and is called an ion. Gaining an electron results in a negative charge, so the atom is an anion. Losing an electron results in a positive charge, so atom ion is a cation. Are atoms or groups of atoms that have a positive or negative charge?
What is an unbalanced atom called?
An unbalanced atom is called an ion, if it gains an electron (thus having more electrons than protons) it becomes a negatively charged ion or an anion. What are positively charged atoms called?
How do metals lose their valence electrons?
Metal atoms lose some of their valence electrons through a process called oxidation, resulting in a large variety of ionic compounds including salts, sulfides and oxides. The properties of metals, combined with the chemical action of other elements, results in the transfer of electrons from one atom to another. What is the charge of a cation?
What is an atom that has gained or lost neutrons called?
Isotopes. An Isotope is an atom that has gained or lost NEUTRONS. If an atom gains/loses neutrons, charge is not affected.
What is the name for an atom that has gained or lost electrons?
If an atom loses or gains electrons, it will become a positively or negatively charged particle, called an ion. The loss of one or more electrons results in more protons than electrons and an overall positively charged ion, called a cation.
What happens when you gain or lose a neutron?
Neutrons do not carry an electrical charge so adding or removing them from the nucleus does not change the electrical charge of the nucleus. It does, however, change the mass of the nucleus. Adding or removing neutrons from the nucleus are how isotopes are created.