Question

How are ions formed?

Answer 1

Ions form when an atom gains or loses electrons in order to find a more stable configuration.

Explanation:

An ion is a positively or negatively charged atom.

Atoms have a particular number of positively charged protons in their nucleus. Uncharged atoms have the same number of negatively charged electrons as protons so that their overall charge is zero.

If an atom loses one electron it will have a net charge of +1 (the unit is electron charges, `1.6xx10^-19` `C`), if it loses two it will have a charge of +2. If it gains one electron it will have a charge of -1, if it gains two a charge of -2 and so on.

The octet rule is a rule of thumb for understanding the most stable state for atoms of a particular element. It states, "Atoms are most stable when they have their valence level (outermost level) full with 8 valence electrons (electrons in the outermost level)."

Atoms can become charged in chemical reactions or in solution, and once they have charge can form ionic bonds. Ionic substances are lattices of positively and negatively charged ions that are attracted to each other.

I hope this was helpful!