![]() A zinc atom loses two electrons to become a Zn 2+ cation. A hydrogen atom loses one electron to become a hydrogen cation with a net charge of +1, written as H +. A cation is an ion that goes to the cathode, the negatively charged electrode in electrolysis, hence the name. If an atom loses an electron(s) it has a net positive charge and is called a positive ion, or cation (CAT-eye-on, but said more quickly than this spelling suggests). In other words, in gaining or losing one or more electrons it becomes negatively- or positively-charged respectively. Should an atom gain or lose electrons, it becomes an ion, or an atom with a charge. And so on.Īn atom has the same number of electrons as protons, giving it a net neutral charge. Any atom with thirteen protons is always an aluminium (Al) atom. ![]() For example, every single hydrogen (H) atom always has one proton, and every single carbon (C ) atom always has six protons in its nucleus. The atoms of each element always have the same number of protons - in fact it’s the number of protons that determines the element - and that number of protons matches the number in the Periodic Table. A neutron has no charge (it’s neutral), and an electron is negatively charged with a charge of -1. A proton is positively charged with a charge of +1. Ītoms are made up of protons, neutrons and electrons. Some letter combinations aren’t intuitive, such as Fe for iron and Pb for lead. Examples of elements are hydrogen (H), oxygen (O), magnesium (Mg) and zinc (Zn).
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