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Ions are atoms or molecules with a positive or negative charge. They are created when a molecule is dissolved in water, forming an ionic solution. There are three types of ions: anions, cations, and radicals. Electrolytes, such as sodium and potassium, are essential for human life. Acids and bases are also ionic solutions. Radicals, like superoxide and nitric oxide, have important chemical properties but can contribute to aging.
An ion is an atom or molecule with more or fewer electrons than usual, giving it a positive or negative electric charge. Because an ion “wants” to become neutral by gaining or losing additional electrons, it has interesting chemical characteristics. Ions usually come in the form of solutions. There are three types: anions, which are negatively charged, cations, which are positively charged, and radicals, or radical ions, which are highly reactive due to the large amount of free electrons.
An ionic solution is typically created when some molecule, such as salt, is dissolved in water. Interactions between solute and solvent molecules dissociate weakly bonded molecules, such as salt, into two or more ions. When salt is placed in water, it breaks down into sodium and chloride ions, both of which are essential for human life. If a person is deprived of salt for too long, they will eventually die. Other ions essential for life (called electrolytes) are potassium (K+), calcium (Ca2+), magnesium (Mg2+), hydrogen phosphate (HPO42-) and hydrogen carbonate (HCO3-).
Other ionic solutions besides dissolved salts are acids and bases. For example, hydrochloric acid is formed when hydrochloric acid is dissolved in water. Hydrochloric acid breaks down into two ions, H+ and Cl-. H+ reacts with water to produce H3O+, hydronium ion, while chlorine remains as chloride ion. Since the ionization process is complete, hydrochloric acid is called a strong acid. The strength of acids is measured by how many H+ ions they have – hydrochloric acid a lot, so it’s very acidic. Indeed, hydrochloric acid can dissolve through glass and all metals except iridium, although its rate of corrosion is slow.
Another category of ionic solutions are bases. Instead of being measured by the concentration of hydrogen ions, a base is measured by its concentration of hydroxide ions (OH-). A basic example is potassium hydroxide, which is the chemical precursor to most soft and liquid soaps. When dissolved in water, potassium hydroxide produces a strong alkaline solution. An alkali is a type of base. Potassium hydroxide has a number of interesting chemical properties, one of which is its hygroscopic (water-attracting) nature, making it a powerful desiccant. When it reacts with water, the reaction is exothermic, meaning it generates significant heat.
The last major group of ions are radical ions, or simply radicals. Examples of radicals include superoxide (O2-), which the immune system uses to kill invading microorganisms, and nitric oxide, which the body uses as an important signaling molecule. Like acids and bases, radicals are highly reactive and have numerous applications in chemistry. An unfortunate aspect of radicals is that trace amounts in the body tend to degrade tissue over time, contributing to aging.
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