If an atom loses electrons, what happens to its electrical charge?

If an atom loses electrons, what happens to its electrical charge?

• A. It becomes a positively charged ion
• B. It becomes a negatively charged ion
• C. It remains electrically neutral
• D. It becomes an isotope

Answer: (A)

Losing electrons removes negative charges from around the atom while the nucleus’s positive charges stay the same. In a neutral atom those charges balance, so the atom is overall neutral. When electrons are removed, there are more protons than electrons, giving the atom a positive net charge. That positively charged particle is called a cation, an ion with a positive charge. If electrons were gained, it would become negatively charged; isotopes, on the other hand, involve changes to the number of neutrons in the nucleus, not to electron count.

Losing electrons removes negative charges from around the atom while the nucleus’s positive charges stay the same. In a neutral atom those charges balance, so the atom is overall neutral. When electrons are removed, there are more protons than electrons, giving the atom a positive net charge. That positively charged particle is called a cation, an ion with a positive charge. If electrons were gained, it would become negatively charged; isotopes, on the other hand, involve changes to the number of neutrons in the nucleus, not to electron count.