anion vs. cation [ENDORSED]

[Irma Ramos 2I]

Other than the removing and addition of electrons, are there any other differences between anions and cations?

[peytonruiz 1H]

Hi Irma. There are really no other differences between a cation and an anion other than the ions' net charges (cations having an overall positive charge and anions having an overall negative charge).
Other than that, you can sometimes predict whether an atom will form a cation or an anion by looking at the period table. Alkali metals and alkaline earths always form cations. Most metals form cations. Halogens always form anions. Most other nonmetals typically form anions.
Hope this helps!

[An Dang 3F]

Cation's atomic radius is usually smaller than an anion's atomic radius because the removal of an electron will cause the effective nuclear charge to become more prominent on the other electrons while the addition of an electron will cause an increase in valence electrons and have more repulsive forces between electrons.