Why is a positively charged ion is called a cation?

Answer 1

It has one or more electrons fewer electrons than it has protons. Since protons have a charge of +1 and electrons have a charge of -1, the atom is only neutral when the number of protons and electrons is equal. If there is one less electron, the charge imbalance is positive because there is one less electron present to cancel the charges.

Answer 2

A cation is formed when an atom loses one or more electrons. When this happens, there are more positively charged protons than negatively charged electrons, so the overall charge of the cation is positive.

Answer 3

Cations were first named by Michael Faraday in 1834. He called them cations because they were the ions attracted to the cathode of the cell. He named the cathode from the Greek word for descent, or going down. He thought of the current in a cell as moving from east to west in the same way the sun crosses the sky from east to west. The cathode is the "west" electrode, and the going down is a reference to the sun setting in the west.

Answer 4

A positively charged ion is called a cation because it is formed when an atom loses one or more electrons, resulting in a net positive charge. The term "cation" comes from the Greek word "kato," meaning "down," as cations are attracted to the negatively charged electrode during electrolysis.

Answer 5

A cation has a positive charge. Elements which form cations lose electrons (which have a negative charge) when forming bonds.