answersLogoWhite

0

How do you get the charge of an ion?

Updated: 8/10/2023
User Avatar

Wiki User

13y ago

Best Answer

The atom gets negative charges and positive charges from other things.

User Avatar

Tyreek Marquardt

Lvl 13
2y ago
This answer is:
User Avatar
More answers
User Avatar

Wiki User

17y ago

To know how an Ion gets it's charge, you 1st need to know the structure of an Atom. An atom has a nucleus containing a number of Positively charged protons (number depending on which element), and Neutral Neutrons (usualy the same number as protons, but can be more or less depending on the isotope) and it also has a number of negatively charged electrons. These electrons travel around the nucleus in rings, and these rings can each carry a certain number of electrons. An ion is made when an atom either losses or gains electrons, giving the atom a positive or negative charge respectively. These electrons are usually lost or gained when an element reacts with another to create a molecule, and then the molecule is broken up agan. The electron rings like to stay full, and if when you break up a salt, the metal will like to keep electrons, and the gas will like to lose electrons to keep their covalent (or outer) electron rings full.

This answer is:
User Avatar

User Avatar

Wiki User

11y ago

Generally this happens when the atom either loose or gain one or more electrons. A charged atom is called a ion.

Atoms that are on the left side of the table of the elements tends to loose electrons and to become positive, the tendency to loose electrons is more and more important increasing the atomic mass, due to the fact that external electrons are located on orbitals progressively more distant from the nucleus. Examples are H+, Ca2+ and so on.

Atoms on the right side tends to acquire electrons and to become negative ions. Examples are Cl- and Br2-.

Atoms in the middle can either acquire or loose electrons depending on the situation.

The most common process causing ion formation is the interaction of an atom with a tendency to loose electrons (electrophobic) and an atom with the tendency to gain electrons (electrophilic). In this case the electrophilic atom gains electrons at the expenses of the electrophobic one leading to the formation of two ions. Frequently the two ions also attract each other due to the opposite charge so to form a stable molecule like a salt.

For example Na and Cl atoms interacting in solution generally creates the ions Na+ and Cl-. If the solvent (for example water) is removed (by evaporation for example) the opposite charged ions forms NaCl crystals, that is common salt.

This answer is:
User Avatar

User Avatar

Wiki User

13y ago

You have to see how many protons are there and how many electrons are there. If there are more electrons than protons, then the ion has a negative charge. If there are more protons than electrons, then the ion has a positive charge.

For example, if an ion has 9 electrons and 8 protons then it has a charge of -1.

This answer is:
User Avatar

User Avatar

Wiki User

13y ago

Ions get a negative charge because they have an extra electron (s) in it.

NaOH -> Na+ +OH- . Here the Hydroxide (OH-) has an extra electron, this is because the NaOH is an ionic compound, meaning that Na and OH are attracted due to the differences in charge. looking at OH, oxygen needs 2 electrons in it's outer shell to be complete. Hydrogen can only offer 1 electron, to they bond, and overall (due to the oxygen having one extra electron) the is negative.

This answer is:
User Avatar

User Avatar

Wiki User

10y ago

the nucleus is made up protons with a charge of +1, neutrons which have no charge, and electrons, which have a charge of -1. When metal atoms bond with nonmetals, the nonmetal atom takes an electron from the metal, so the nonmetal has 1 extra electron than it did before, and the metal has 1 fewer than it did before.

All atoms start out neutral. with even amounts of protons and electrons. If, for example, the metal was Li, which has 3 protons and 3 electrons, then losing one electron will leave it only 2. Because you need equal protons and electrons to balance out the charge, having uneven numbers will mean that the overall charge of the atom will lean to the either + or the -. Li will have a charge of +1, as it has one more proton than it has electrons. Likewise, the nonmetal will gain an electron, which will give it a

-1 charge.

This answer is:
User Avatar

User Avatar

Wiki User

8y ago

An atom bcomes negatively charged by an extra electron orbitting the nucleus.

An atom becomes positvely charged if an extra proton joins the nucleus.

This answer is:
User Avatar

User Avatar

Wiki User

13y ago

An ion gets it charge when an atom or group of atoms gains or loses one or more electrons.

This answer is:
User Avatar

User Avatar

Wiki User

13y ago

An atom gets its charge from having unbalanced electrons having more electrons gives it a negative charge, less a positive.

This answer is:
User Avatar

Add your answer:

Earn +20 pts
Q: How do you get the charge of an ion?
Write your answer...
Submit
Still have questions?
magnify glass
imp