Cation

[Elyssa Smith 4B]

What is are cations and anions and why are they important?

[Jessica Castellanos]

Cations are atoms that have lost an electron so they have a positive charge.
Anions are atoms that have gained an electron so they have a negative charge.
Cations and anions are important because some elements are more stable as ions because they can gain their octet by gaining or losing an electron. So, sometimes when combining atoms into compounds will be combining ions (ex. NaCl which is a combination of Na+ and Cl-). I hope this helps!

[Lizette Noriega 1H]

Cations are atoms with a positive charge (+) while anions are atoms with a negative charge (-); this is due to the loss or gain of electrons. They are important because they are essential to the formation of ionic bonds, bonds in which electrons are lost or gained in order to reach a more stable state (and fulfill the octet rule)

[Yailin Romo 4G]

An easy way to remember the difference between a cation and a anion is how anion has an "n" in it I relate that to its negative charge and then the cation is positive from that inference. This happens from anions gaining elections making them more negative, and cations losing electrons making them more positive.

[705198479]

ions differ in the number of electrons and electrical charge but

cation: positive charge; loose electrons
anion: negative charge; gain electrons

[romina_4C]

Also, cations are smaller than their originating atom because they have lost an electron, and thus the attraction between the fewer electrons and the positive charge from the nucleus is greater, resulting in a smaller ion (more attraction).

Anions are larger than their originating atom because they have gained an electron, and thus there is more repulsion between the electron shells due to the added negative charge.

[AArmellini_1I]

Also cations and anions have positive/negative charges that can affect the orientation of a molecule (think of water) and affect what molecules they may be attracted too.

[Jingyao Chen 4H]

Cations are ions that gets electrons stripped away. They lose electrons to reach octet to become more stable. On the contrary, anions likes to gain electrons to reach octet and become more stable. They are important because after ions are formed, ionic bonding can form.

[Erik Buetow 1F]

Actions lose electrons and therefore have positive charge. Anions act in the opposite way, as they gain electrons and therefore have a negative charge. This is important because it gives insight into certain trends and properties of the atoms.

[Megan Jung 3A]

Cations are when an atom looses electrons in order to gain stability. Loosing an electron would give them a positive charge.
Anions are formed when an atom gains an electron to achieve stability. Gaining an electron gives the atom a negative charge.

Both of these are important in forming bonds between elements and atoms as they are always trying to reach stability or a stable octet based on the charge of the atom and the electrons in their outermost valence shell.

[Madeline Phan 1E]

Cations are atoms that lose electrons in order to achieve a full valence shell. They tend to be metals. Anions gain electrons in order to complete their valence shell and tend to be non-metals. Cations lose electrons because they tend to have 3 or less valence electrons in their last shell, and it is easier to lose 3 electrons than to gain 5. Anions usually have more valence electrons in their shell, so it is easier to gain electrons to complete an octet than to lose them.

[Drake Choi_1I]

A helpful way to remember is to see the "t" in cation as a plus!

[Christine Honda 2I]

As others have said, a cation loses electrons and anions gain electrons. Therefore, cations have a positive charge and anions have a negative charge.

My high school teacher told us to think that a cat has "paws" so therefore CATions are "pawsitive"

[William Chan 1D]

Cations are atoms that have lost an electron and therefore have a positive charge.

Anions are atoms that have gained an electron and therefore have a negative charge.

Cations and anions are important to understand because they tell us why certain things like ionic salts can form, and also has applications in things such as biology, where our cells use ions to create electric potential and send signals.

[Cindy Adiwidjaja 1B]

Everyone here is correct with their answers, however I wanted to give a quick tip on how I remember the difference.

For Cation (positive charge), I just think of the "t" as a "+(plus sign)"

For Anion, I just think of the "n" as a "Negative"

[preyasikumar_2L]

Cations are positively charged ions - these are atoms which have lost one or more electrons. Some examples of cations include K⁺, Na⁺, and Ca²⁺.

Anions are negatively charged ions - these are atoms which have gained one or more electrons. Some examples of anions include F^-, Cl^-, and O^2-.

Many elements form ions in order to have a full octet of electrons and thus be more stable, and they also do this when forming ionic bonds with other elements.

[chrisleung-2J]

Cations are ions with a positive charge, and can exist when atoms lose electrons. On the other hand, anions are ions with a negative charge, and can be formed when atoms lose electrons. They are probably most important to understand in the context of ionic bonds, which form between anions and cations.

[Merin Padayatty 3G]

Another difference between cations and anions is that cations are usually smaller than their parent atom and anions are usually larger than their parent atom.

[Celine 1F]

Cations are ions that have a positive charge as a result of giving away their electrons. Anions are ions that have a negative charge because they gained an electron. Ions that are anions have a higher electronegativity than cations.

[Megan Ngai- 3B]

Cations are atoms lost an electron so it has a positive charge.Anions are atoms that have gained an electron so it has a negative charge.
They're important because some elements are more stable as ions because they can gain their octet by gaining or losing an electron.

[Quynh Vo]

Cation are atoms with positive charge whereas anion are negatively charged atoms. This is important when we are drawing them and determining which structure is more stable.

[Kehlin Hayes 4C]

Cations are atoms that have lost an electron and therefore receive a negative charge and Anions have gained an electron receive a negative charge. With this being said a Cation is always smaller than their corresponding atom because they are losing a valence electron and Anions are always bigger than their corresponding atom because they are gaining a valence electron.

[Rodrigo2J]

Cations are positively charged ions. Anions are negatively charged ions. The important thing to know about them is that cations tend to lose their electrons and anions gain those electrons.

[Nare Nazaryan 1F]

Cations are positively charged ions since they lose electrons. Anions are negatively charged since they gain electrons. They're important because they help the element form octets.