What is an Ion? | Summary and Q&A

TL;DR

Atoms are electrically neutral because they have the same number of protons and electrons, while ions have a net charge due to a difference in the number of protons and electrons.

Key Insights

• 😐 Atoms are electrically neutral due to an equal number of protons and electrons.
• 😑 Ions have a net charge because the number of protons and electrons differs.
• 🫀 The atomic symbol of an ion includes the atomic number, mass number, and charge.
• 🍹 The net charge of an ion can be positive (cation) or negative (anion) depending on the difference in protons and electrons.
• 🫀 The periodic table can be used to identify elements based on their atomic number.
• 😑 An ion with more protons than electrons is positively charged, while an ion with more electrons than protons is negatively charged.
• #️⃣ The net charge of an ion is calculated by subtracting the number of electrons from the number of protons.

Transcript

in this video we're going to talk about ions what exactly is an ion a good example that i like to use is the aluminum ion aluminum has an atomic number of 13 and a mass number of 27 and let's compare it to an atom of aluminum so on the left side we have the ion and on the right side of the atom as you can see an ion has an electrical charge an atom... Read More

Questions & Answers

Q: What is the difference between an atom and an ion?

Atoms are electrically neutral and have the same number of protons and electrons. Ions, on the other hand, have a net charge due to a difference in the number of protons and electrons.

Q: What is the difference between a cation and an anion?

A cation is a positively charged ion, having more protons than electrons. An anion is a negatively charged ion with more electrons than protons.

Q: How can the atomic symbol of an ion be written?

The atomic symbol of an ion can be written by including the atomic number, mass number, and charge. For example, "1531P-3" represents an ion with atomic number 15, mass number 31, and a net charge of -3.

Q: How is the net charge of an ion calculated?

The net charge of an ion is calculated by taking the difference between the number of protons and electrons. A positive difference results in a positive charge (cation), while a negative difference gives a negative charge (anion).

Summary & Key Takeaways

• Ions have an electrical charge, either positive or negative, while atoms are electrically neutral.

• The number of protons in an atom and a cation (positively charged ion) is the same, but the number of electrons differs.

• For an atom, the net charge is zero because the number of protons and electrons are equal, while the net charge of an ion is determined by the difference in the number of protons and electrons.

• The atomic symbol of an ion can be written by including the atomic number, mass number, and charge.