Introduction to ions | High school chemistry | Khan Academy

TL;DR

Ions are formed when the number of protons and electrons in an atom is not equal, resulting in a positive or negative charge.

Transcript

• [Instructor] So my apologies. I just had a deviated septum surgery yesterday. What we're going to talk about in this video is the notion of an ion. So before we talk about ions we're just going to talk about the idea of an element. For example, if I have carbon, carbon is an element. And let's say I have one atom of carbon. What do we know about ... Read More

Key Insights

• 😐 Atoms are neutral when they have an equal number of protons and electrons.
• 💁 Ions are formed when there is an imbalance in the number of protons and electrons.
• 🍹 A positive ion (cation) has more protons than electrons, while a negative ion (anion) has more electrons than protons.
• 😑 The charge of an ion can be determined by the difference between the number of protons and electrons.
• 🍹 The term for a positive ion is cation, while a negative ion is called an anion.
• #️⃣ The number of neutrons in an atom can be calculated by subtracting the number of protons from the mass number.

Questions & Answers

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

An atom is neutral and has an equal number of protons and electrons, while an ion has an imbalance between protons and electrons, resulting in a positive or negative charge.

Q: How can you determine the charge of an ion?

The charge of an ion depends on the difference between the number of protons and electrons. If there are more protons, it will have a positive charge, and if there are more electrons, it will have a negative charge.

Q: What is the term for a positive ion?

A positive ion is called a cation.

Q: Can an ion be formed from any element?

Yes, any element can form an ion if there is an imbalance between the number of protons and electrons.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• An atom is considered neutral when it has the same number of protons and electrons.

• An ion is formed when there is an imbalance between protons and electrons, resulting in a positive or negative charge.

• A positive ion (cation) has more protons than electrons, while a negative ion (anion) has more electrons than protons.