Difference between Atoms and Ions (Explanation & Examples)
Summary
TLDRThis video explains the key differences between atoms and ions, focusing on the role of electrons. Atoms are neutral, having equal protons and electrons, while ions have an imbalance due to gaining or losing electrons. The video uses examples like chlorine and nitrogen to show how atoms become negatively or positively charged ions through chemical bonding, particularly in ionic bonds. It also touches on periodic table trends, cations (positive ions), anions (negative ions), and polyatomic ions, making complex concepts simpler with clear visual examples.
Takeaways
- 🔬 Atoms and ions differ in the number of electrons, with ions having a charge due to an imbalance between protons and electrons.
- 🧪 Chlorine (Cl) is neutral in its atomic form, with equal numbers of protons and electrons.
- ⚛️ When chlorine gains an electron during chemical bonding, it becomes a negatively charged ion (Cl⁻).
- 🔋 Nitrogen, with an atomic number of 7, has 7 protons and 7 electrons in its neutral state.
- 💡 Ions are charged particles because the number of electrons does not equal the number of protons.
- ⚠️ Adding neutrons to the nucleus changes the atomic mass but not the charge of the atom or ion.
- ⚖️ Neutral atoms have equal numbers of protons and electrons, while ions do not.
- 📉 Nitrogen typically forms a 3⁻ ion because it gains 3 electrons to fill its outer shell.
- 🧲 Atoms that lose or gain electrons become ions and can form ionic bonds due to opposite charges (e.g., Na⁺ and Cl⁻).
- 📛 Cations are positively charged ions (e.g., Na⁺), while anions are negatively charged ions (e.g., Cl⁻).
Q & A
What is the main difference between an atom and an ion?
-The main difference between an atom and an ion is the number of electrons. An atom is neutral, with an equal number of protons and electrons, while an ion has either gained or lost electrons, resulting in a charge.
Why is chlorine (Cl) considered a neutral atom?
-Chlorine (Cl) is considered a neutral atom because the number of protons equals the number of electrons, which balances the positive and negative charges.
What happens when chlorine forms an ionic bond?
-When chlorine forms an ionic bond, it gains an extra electron, resulting in a negative charge, making it a negatively charged ion (Cl⁻).
How do protons and electrons affect the charge of an atom or ion?
-Protons are positively charged, and electrons are negatively charged. If an atom has an equal number of protons and electrons, it is neutral. If an atom has more electrons than protons, it becomes a negatively charged ion, and if it has fewer electrons, it becomes a positively charged ion.
What is the charge of a nitrogen ion, and why?
-A nitrogen ion typically has a charge of 3⁻ because it gains three extra electrons to fill its outer shell, resulting in three more negative charges than positive protons.
How does the addition of neutrons affect the charge of an atom?
-The addition of neutrons does not affect the charge of an atom. Neutrons are neutral particles, so they only change the atomic mass, not the charge.
What is the general trend for ions in Group 1 and Group 2 elements of the periodic table?
-Group 1 elements, like sodium (Na), tend to lose one electron to form 1⁺ ions. Group 2 elements lose two electrons to form 2⁺ ions.
How are positive and negative ions (cations and anions) formed?
-Positive ions (cations) are formed when an atom loses electrons, making it positively charged. Negative ions (anions) form when an atom gains electrons, giving it a negative charge.
What is an ionic bond, and how does it form between sodium and chlorine?
-An ionic bond is the attraction between oppositely charged ions. It forms when sodium (Na) loses an electron to become Na⁺, and chlorine (Cl) gains that electron to become Cl⁻, resulting in the attraction between Na⁺ and Cl⁻ to form sodium chloride (NaCl).
What are polyatomic ions, and how do they get their charge?
-Polyatomic ions are groups of atoms bonded together that have an overall positive or negative charge. They gain or lose electrons from other atoms, resulting in their charge.
Outlines
🔬 Understanding Atoms and Ions: The Role of Electrons
This paragraph introduces the concept of atoms and ions, emphasizing the role of electrons in differentiating between the two. Chlorine (Cl) is used as an example, where the neutral atom has equal numbers of protons and electrons. When chlorine gains an electron during bond formation, it becomes negatively charged and forms an ion. The key takeaway is that the imbalance between protons and electrons defines whether the particle is an atom (neutral) or an ion (charged).
🧪 Building a Nitrogen Atom and Ion
Here, nitrogen is used to demonstrate how atoms and ions are structured. With an atomic number of seven, nitrogen has seven protons and seven electrons in its neutral state, canceling out the charge. However, when nitrogen gains three electrons, it becomes an ion with a 3- charge. The explanation also covers how protons, neutrons, and electrons are arranged in energy levels and how adding neutrons affects the mass but not the charge. The key concept is the distinction between neutral atoms and ions, with a focus on electron gain or loss.
🧲 Determining Ions and Neutral Atoms from Periodic Table Trends
This section highlights how to distinguish between ions and neutral atoms, primarily using periodic table trends. If an atom has a charge (indicated by a plus or minus sign), it is an ion; otherwise, it's neutral. The periodic table provides clues to predict an atom's charge when it forms an ion. For example, nitrogen tends to form a 3- ion, while oxygen and sulfur form 2- ions. Elements like lithium and sodium lose electrons to become positive ions. These trends help simplify the prediction of ionic charges for various elements.
⚛️ Formation of Ionic Bonds: Sodium and Chlorine Example
This paragraph explains how ionic bonds form through electron transfer, using sodium (Na) and chlorine (Cl) as examples. Sodium loses an electron to become Na+, and chlorine gains an electron to become Cl-. The attraction between these opposite charges results in the formation of sodium chloride (NaCl). The section also briefly touches on ionization, where enough energy can remove electrons to form ions, although chemical bonding is more common in forming ions.
🔋 Cations, Anions, and Polyatomic Ions
The difference between cations (positive ions) and anions (negative ions) is introduced here. Cations form when atoms lose electrons, while anions form when atoms gain electrons. The paragraph offers mnemonic devices to remember these concepts, such as the 't' in cation resembling a plus sign. Additionally, the concept of polyatomic ions, groups of atoms with an overall charge, is briefly introduced. These polyatomic ions often bond with other elements and gain or lose electrons, resulting in a charge.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Atom
💡Ion
💡Electron
💡Proton
💡Neutron
💡Cation
💡Anion
💡Ionic bond
💡Periodic table
💡Polyatomic ion
Highlights
The key difference between atoms and ions revolves around electrons.
A neutral atom has an equal number of protons and electrons.
Chlorine (Cl) on the periodic table is neutral when the number of protons equals the number of electrons.
When chlorine gains an electron, it becomes an ion with a negative charge due to the excess electron.
Ions are charged particles, unlike neutral atoms, due to an imbalance in the number of protons and electrons.
Nitrogen has an atomic number of 7, meaning it has 7 protons, making it neutral when there are 7 electrons as well.
When nitrogen gains 3 electrons, it forms a 3- ion with a full outer shell, which is more stable.
Protons in the nucleus are positive, and neutrons stabilize the atom without affecting its charge.
A neutral nitrogen atom has a mass number of 14 due to its 7 protons and 7 neutrons.
Atoms become ions when the number of electrons and protons are unequal.
Elements in certain periodic table groups tend to form ions with predictable charges (e.g., nitrogen forms a 3- ion).
Metals like sodium (Na) lose electrons to form positive ions (cations), while nonmetals like chlorine gain electrons to form negative ions (anions).
Ions with opposite charges (e.g., Na+ and Cl-) attract each other to form ionic bonds, like in sodium chloride (NaCl).
Ionization can occur by removing electrons through chemical bonding or by adding energy to atoms.
Cations are positive ions (e.g., Na+), and anions are negative ions (e.g., Cl-), with a simple way to remember: 'a negative ion' for anions.
Polyatomic ions are groups of atoms with an overall charge, often found in chemical compounds.
Transcripts
in this video we'll talk about the
difference between atoms and ions and
when we're talking about the difference
between atoms and ions it's all about
the electrons
let's take a look at an example of this
so if we have an atom like chlorine on
the periodic table cl
that's considered to be neutral that's
because the number of protons and the
number of electrons in the atom they're
equal so this is an atom and because
there's no plus or minus after it it's
considered to be neutral and the number
of protons will equal the number of
electrons
but chlorine forms chemical bonds and
when it forms chemical bonds ionic bonds
it tends to gain an electron electrons
are negative so then we have this
negative sign here so now we consider
this to be
an ion
and with an ion it's charged it's not a
neutral particle it has a charge it has
a negative charge here because it has an
extra electron and in this case we say
that the protons they don't equal the
number of electrons we have one more
electron than we have protons so this
charge the difference in electrons that
makes this an ion so let's see what that
really looks like
so let's build an atom and an ion so
let's work with nitrogen nitrogen on the
periodic table that has an atomic number
of seven so it has seven protons let's
add seven protons
protons they're found in the nucleus
here
they are positive
so we have 7 protons seven positive
charges so this is an ion because it has
a positive charge in fact it has a seven
plus charge because we have seven
protons and they're positive
we said that a neutral atom like those
found on the periodic table doesn't have
a plus or minus after it the electrons
will equal the protons so the electrons
which are negative
if we have seven of those that would
cancel out the positive that would give
us a net charge of zero it would be
neutral we put 2 in the first energy
level and then 5 more in the second
energy level
so we have 7
electrons and 7 protons
the net charge is zero this is a neutral
atom
but you'll notice something interesting
there's space for more electrons here in
this outer shell so we could add three
more here
to fill this shell
so now we have a full outer shell which
is really stable and our nitrogen ion
would have a charge of 3 minus and
that's the charge we get when nitrogen
forms ionic bonds
we should probably put some neutrons in
here too these protons are positive
they're going to push away from each
other so let's put seven neutrons in
and you'll notice nothing happens when
we put neutrons in to the charge
the only thing that's changing here is
the atomic mass so this would be the
most common isotope of nitrogen here
you'd have a mass number of 14 because
we have seven neutrons and protons but
when we talk about atoms and ions
we have three extra electrons we have a
three minus charge this is an ion
but if the number of electrons and
protons are equal we call it a neutral
atom
so pause and determine which of the
following are ions and which are neutral
atoms
so if you have a plus or minus after
them they're going to be ions if there's
nothing written that's a neutral atom
and the number of protons will equal the
number of electrons and if you have just
a minus that means it's one minus
there's a general trend on the periodic
table we can follow to tell what the
charge will be on atoms when they become
ions so nitrogen that's right here on
the periodic table so nitrogen will have
a three minus in fact the elements here
in general will form ions that are three
minus and note we write the plus or the
minus after the number when we're
dealing with ions just the way we do it
if we have something here like oxygen or
sulfur
form two minus ions things like fluorine
chlorine
those will form one minus ions if you
came over here and you looked at lithium
or sodium they would tend to lose an
electron to form ions
elements in group two they lose two
electrons we don't include the
transition metals they can have
different charges depending what they
bond to
this is a general way we can look at how
atoms when they form ions what their
charge will be
we can be a little more specific if we
look at this periodic table here you can
see that some of these really we can't
look at ionic charges for but these are
the general trends and if you know these
chemistry gets a lot easier
so you might ask how does an atom become
an ion well sodium has one electron in
its outer shell it'll lose that electron
when it forms a chemical bond with
chlorine so sodium ends up having a one
plus ionic charge
the chlorine which gained that electron
it now has an extra electron right here
so now it has a negative charge and you
have this plus and minus these two atoms
with opposite charges they're going to
be attracted and they're going to form
an ionic bond they're going to come
together and be attracted to form this
nacl sodium chloride so the plus
and the minus
comes when they form bonds
there is one other way you can do this
if you have just solid sodium or another
atom and you hit it with enough energy
you can remove electrons to form ions
this is called ionization
but most of the time in chemistry we're
dealing with chemical bonds and with
ions they'll form when we have a metal
coming together with a non-metal forming
that ionic
bond so we've talked about positive ions
like na plus or ca2 plus these are
called cations and the way you can
remember is the t here looks like a plus
sign
we also had negative ions they're called
anions like cl minus or n3 minus the way
i like to remember those is a
negative
ion so anions a negative ion that'll
help you remember that they're negative
the cations they lost an electron that
made them positive the anions they've
gained electrons so they become negative
neutral elements like we find on the
periodic table they have the same number
of protons and electrons
one last thing sometimes you'll see
groups of atoms together with a charge
negative or a positive charge after them
these are considered polyatomic ions
they're made up of groups of atoms
together and they have an overall charge
we see these quite often in chemistry
bonded to other elements in fact they
get their charge because they're bonded
to an element that loses electrons they
gain them they have the negative charge
this is dr b with the difference between
atoms and ions thanks for watching
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