Atoms are made up of protons, neutrons, and electrons. During a chemical reaction, atoms can lose or gain electrons and become ions. Cations are positively charged ions formed when an atom loses electrons. They can form ionic bonds with anions and create stable compounds like table salt.
Cations are positively charged ions that form when an atom loses one or more electrons during a chemical reaction. To understand what this means, it helps to review some basic information about chemistry. Understanding what an atom is, something about atomic structure and properties, and then what happens during a chemical reaction, provide important background.
Everything on Earth is made up of matter, which in turn is made up of atoms. Atoms are extremely small and can only be observed with specialized scientific equipment. All atoms are composed of three main particles: protons, neutrons and electrons. The number of these particles in each atom is what makes elements different from each other. It also determines their chemical properties or how atoms act under different conditions.
Protons have a positive electric charge, neutrons have no charge, and electrons are negatively charged. The nucleus of the atom is made up of protons and neutrons joined together, which makes up almost all of the weight of the atom. The electrons go around the nucleus in orbitals or energy levels. These particles are important because how they are arranged around the nucleus determines the properties of an atom, whether it is prone to gaining or losing electrons.
Atoms want their energy levels to be filled with electrons, and to do so they will give or take electrons from other atoms. This is what happens during a chemical reaction. When an atom loses or gains electrons in a reaction, it becomes an ion.
A cation forms when an atom loses electrons during a chemical reaction. It has a positive electrical charge, because it has more protons than electrons, and will be attracted to anions, which have negative charges.
Positive and negative charges attract each other, so different ions can be held together by ionic bonds and form molecules. Table salt is an example of a compound held together by an ionic bond between cations and anions. Salt is formed when positive sodium ions combine with negative chlorine ions. This compound is very stable when sitting on the table, but the ionic bond is easily broken when water is added. Salt dissolves in water because water breaks the ionic bond between sodium and chlorine.
Ions are indicated with a superscript indicating whether the net electric charge is positive (plus sign) or negative (minus sign) and the number of electrons gained or lost. There are many common cations, which can be composed of one or more elements held together by chemical bonds. The common metals aluminum and copper are simple examples.
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