technoguy

An ion is an atom, group of atoms, or subatomic particle with a net electric charge. The simplest ions are the electron (single negative charge, e-), proton (a hydrogen ion, H+, positive charge), and alpha particle (helium ion, He2+, consisting of two protons and two neutrons) . A negatively charged ion, which has more electrons in its electron shells than it has protons in its nuclei, is known as an anion (pronounced an-eye-on), for it is attracted to anodes; a positively-charged ion, which has fewer electrons than protons, is known as a cation (pronounced cat-eye-on), for it is attracted to cathodes. An ion with a single atom is called a monatomic ion, and an ion with more than one is called a polyatomic ion. Larger ions containing many atoms are called molecular ions. The process of converting into ions and the state of being ionized is called ionization. The recombining of ions and electrons to form neutral atoms is called recombination. A polyatomic anion that contains oxygen is sometimes known as an oxyanion.