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An atom has 30 protons, 21 neutrons, and 19 electrons. Is this an ion? If so, what type of ion is this?

User Premlatha
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Answer:

Yes, this is an ion. Specifically, it is known as a cation.

Step-by-step explanation:

An ion is an atom that has gained or lost electrons. Normally, atoms have the same number of electrons as protons; these are called neutral atoms. Since the atom in question has 30 protons, its neutral form should have 30 electrons. However, it only has 19. Therefore, it must have lost 11 electrons so it is an ion.

Ions can be categorized in two groups. Anions, which have an overall negative (-) charge, and cations (pronounced cat-ion), which have an overall positive (+) charge. This ion has lost 11 electrons, and since electrons have a negative charge, the ion must have an overall positive charge. Thus it is a cation.

This cation specifically would have a +11 charge since it lost 11 electrons. The number of neutrons doesn't matter for this problem.

User Marco Hengstenberg
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