Why are negative ions larger?

Answer 1

To form a positive ion, electron (s) must be stripped from an atom. Once the electron has been stripped, there are the same number of protons pulling a reduced number of electrons closer to the nucleus. This makes the ion smaller.

Answer 2

Well, going on a slight tangent from your question, when you go left to right on the Periodic Table you are adding an electron one by one, but you are also adding a proton one by one, making the overall attraction strong so that the element gets smaller. When going down a group a whole energy level is added to the element, making it larger. To answer your question, a negative ion is an atom that has an extra electron, but the same number of protons. Since this is true, the pull that the proton core has on the electrons is not as strong, so the atom gets much larger. The same concept is true for positive ions. The atom has one fewer electron with the same number of protons, the pull on the electrons from the proton core is much stronger, so the atom gets much smaller.

Answer 3

In a negative ion, or anion, electron(s) have been added to the atom. This means the like charges within the electron cloud are now repelling each other more than they were before. The proton count, however, has not changed. So, the electron cloud, in response to the added electron(s) expands with that extra repulsion.

the negative Ions will have gained an electron fill an electron shell while a positive Ion will have lost an electron in order to shed its outermost shell, thereby making the atom smaller

Answer 4

when an atom becomes an ion, it gains electrons. electrons are all negatively charged, so they repel each other, thus creating mores space between them. this makes the ion larger than it originally was.

Answer 5

A negatively charged ion is larger than its corresponding atom because there are more electrons (negatively charged) being held by the same number of protons (positively charged). For example, Cl- (chloride ion) is larger than Cl (chlorine atom). Both have 17 protons, but the ion has 18 electrons while the atom has 17. The radius of the ion is bigger because the same positive charge is being spread out more over a larger collection of negative charges.

In contrast, a positively charged ion is smaller than its corresponding atom because it has fewer electrons being held by the same number of protons.

Answer 6

It is larger than its parent atom because it has more electrons therefore increasing its radius and there arent more protons to attract it as much to shrink its size

Answer 7

because the size is determined by electron cloud anions are larger because the excess electron(s) repel each other, and add to the physical size of the ion.

Answer 8

Because negative means more electrons so negative compared to neutral has more electrons. More electrons makes the atom bigger.

Answer 9

Because the negative ion has gained electrons and the positive ion has lost electrons.

Answer 10

It lost electrons (usually starting with the outermost) so the size is determined by electrons closer to the nucleus.