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Anions are Bigger, Cations are smaller.

anions are negatively charged species because they have gained an extra electron, which is negatively charged. The more electrons an atom has the more the outer electrons are shielded from the pull that the positive nucleus has on them, therefore when an atom gains an electron the nucleus can not pull in a strongly and the resulting radius, specifically ionic radius is larger.


cations have lost an electron and therefore do not have as many electrons to shield the outer shell electrons from the attraction of the nucleus, the electron cloud is pulled closer and they are smaller.

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Is a cation larger or smaller than a neutral element?

Cation is always smaller than corresponding neutral atom.


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.


Size of cation is smaller than its neutral atom?

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.


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 atom more positive?

An atom is neutral; the cation is positive.


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.


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.


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

This neutral atom become a cation or an anion.


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 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


What happens when a neutral atom becomes positive?

the excess protons pull harder on the fewer neutrons


Is cation larger than its parent atom?

In general, a cation is smaller than its parent atom because it has lost one or more electrons, leading to a decrease in electron-electron repulsion and a smaller electron cloud.