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The charge of the atom is no longer neutral because the number of electrons is greater than the number of protons. Because the charge of the atom is now negative, it is now not a pure element, but an ion. An ion is an element that is no longer pure because it has gained or lost electrons. The charge of the ion is negative because it has more electrons than protons, and electrons have negative charges and protons have positive charges.

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15y ago
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13y ago

If the atom that gains an electron, than its charge will go down by -1. For example, if a Cl- ion gains 1 electron, then the Cl atom will become stable and have a charge of 0.

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Q: What happens to the charge of an atom when it gains electron?
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What happens to an atom's overall charge if it gains an electron?

since an electron is negatively charged, adding an electron to an atom will cause it to become negatively charged.


What happens when a nonmetal atom gains an electron from another atom?

It becomes a negatively charged ion with a charge of 1-.


When an atom gains an electron what charge does it have?

An atom that gains three electrons will become an ion with a 3- charge.


What happens when a atom gains an electron?

When an atom gains an electron it becomes an ion with a charge of negative one. This charge comes from the electron's negativity, which changes the atom's balanced ratio of electrons to protons.


What happens to the charge plus or - of an atom when it gains electron?

An electron has a negative charge of 1.6E-19 Coulombs. This will subtract from the net charge of an atom, so the net charge will be less, assuming that a negative charge is less than a positive charge.


What change does an atom have if it gains an electron?

It will have a negative charge.


Is a positive ion an atom that has gained an electron?

No, an electron has a negative charge. Therefore, if an originally neutral atom gains an electron, it will have a negative charge.


When an atom gains or looses electrons what to the charge of atom?

When an atoms gains an electron the atom changes into a negative ion and when an atom loses an electron the atom changes into a positive ion.


What is a neutral atom that gains or loses electrons?

A neutral atom that subsequently gains or loses one [or more] electrons is called an ion. If it gains an electron [or electrons] it will have a negative charge. If it loses an electron [or electrons] it will have a positive charge.


What type of charge does an ion have when an atom gains an electron?

Negative.


What would the charge be if an atom gains an electron and why?

Every electron has a charge of minus one. If a neutral atom acquires an additional electron, then it also acquires the charge of that electron, and will have a net charge of minus one.


What happens when an atom loses an electron to another atom?

The atom that gains electron becomes an anion. The atom that loses electron becomes a cation.