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Yes, the size of a cation is smaller than it's neutral atom. This is so because cations have a low number of shells and hence a high effective nuclear charge which causes them to be smaller in size then their neutral atoms.

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When an atom becomes a cation what happens to it's radius?

When an atom becomes a cation, it loses one or more electrons, causing the outermost electron shell to contract. This contraction of the electron cloud results in a decrease in the atomic radius of the cation compared to the neutral atom.


What happens to atomic radius size of a cation and why?

When an atom loses an electron to become a cation, the number of electrons decreases while the number of protons remains the same, leading to a stronger electrostatic pull on the remaining electrons. This causes the electron cloud to be pulled closer to the nucleus, resulting in a smaller atomic radius for the cation compared to the neutral atom.


How does the size change when an atom forms a cation and when an atom forms an anion?

A metal atom is smaller than the cation formed from it, because the electron(s) lost from a metal atom to form its cations are from the outermost electron shell or energy level of the atom. These electrons increase the size of the atom compared with the cation.


How does the size of a negative ion compare to the size of the atom that formed it?

A cation is smaller than the neutral atom because one electron is removed from the original atom to form it. An anion is larger than the neutral atom because one electron is added to the original atom to form it.


How does the size of an atom change when it is converted to an anion and a cation?

A cation is an element that loses electrons in order to achieve a pseudo-noble gas electron configuration:Hence, when a cation loses electrons it has an uneven number of (p+) and (e-). The protons then pull harder on the electrons or (e-) because there is more positive charged subatomic particles than there are negatively charged subatomic particles. The remaining electrons are closer to the nucleus making the cation smaller in size than the original atom.

Related Questions

Is a cation larger or smaller than a neutral element?

Cation is always smaller than corresponding neutral atom.


How does the size of each compare with the size of the neutral atom form which it is formed?

A cation is smaller than the neutral atom because one electron is removed from the original atom to form it. An anion is larger than the neutral atom because one electron is added to the original atom to form it.


When an atom becomes a cation what happens to it's radius?

When an atom becomes a cation, it loses one or more electrons, causing the outermost electron shell to contract. This contraction of the electron cloud results in a decrease in the atomic radius of the cation compared to the neutral atom.


How does the size of a cation compare with the size of the neutral atom from which it is formed?

An ion is an atom that carries a charge because it has more or less electrons than its neutral form. An electron weighs less than 0.06% of a proton and doesn't take up any real space, therefore an ion is not different in size than its neutral atom.


Which is larger (a) a cation or the neutral atom from which it forms?

The neutral metal atom is larger than its cation, because to form a cation, the valence energy level of electrons is lost, reducing its radius.


What happens to atomic radius size of a cation and why?

When an atom loses an electron to become a cation, the number of electrons decreases while the number of protons remains the same, leading to a stronger electrostatic pull on the remaining electrons. This causes the electron cloud to be pulled closer to the nucleus, resulting in a smaller atomic radius for the cation compared to the neutral atom.


What atom more positive?

An atom is neutral; the cation is positive.


How does the size change when an atom forms a cation and when an atom forms an anion?

A metal atom is smaller than the cation formed from it, because the electron(s) lost from a metal atom to form its cations are from the outermost electron shell or energy level of the atom. These electrons increase the size of the atom compared with the cation.


What is the different and what is the same between an atom and an element?

Atom is neutral while cation is positively charged so cations have less electrons than corresponding atoms, another difference is that cations are always smaller in size as compare to their respective atoms.


If a neutral atom gains or loses electrons it acquires a charge and becomes an?

This neutral atom become a cation or an anion.


How does the size of a negative ion compare to the size of the atom that formed it?

A cation is smaller than the neutral atom because one electron is removed from the original atom to form it. An anion is larger than the neutral atom because one electron is added to the original atom to form it.


How does the diameter of the K atom compare to the diameter of the K plus cation?

The K+ cation is much, much smaller than the neutral K atom--as much as 10 time smaller. This is true of all atoms and their cations, since in a cation there are more protons than electrons. Because of this, the protons' pull on the electrons is very strong, pulling the electron cloud much closer to the nucleus