Examples of Anions and Cations

The ions They are atoms or molecules They are no longer neutral and have an electrical charge, that is, they are electrically charged particles. To acquire electrical charge, neutral particles must give up or accept electrons.

Ions can be:

The opposite sign ions can join together to form chemical bonds, such as ionic bond, which is formed when ions of different signs are attracted electrostatically. This type of bond is strong and ionic compounds form crystalline structures.

Examples of anions

The anions, in turn, can be:

The following list exemplifies a series of anions that are frequent in nature, highlighting their oxidation number:

Monatomic anions

1. Hydride Anion (H^–)
2. Oxide Anion (O^2-)
3. Fluoride Anion (F^–)
4. Chloride Anion (Cl^–)
5. Bromide Anion (Br^–)
6. Iodide Anion (Br^–)
7. Sulfide Anion (S^2-)

Polyatomic anions

1. Oxoclorate (I) or hypochlorous anion (ClO^–)
2. Chloric trioxochloride (V) anion (ClO₃^–)
3. Dioxobromate (III) or bromous anion (BrO₂^–)
4. Tetraoxobromate (VII) or perbromic anion (BrO₄^–)
5. Oxoiodate anion (I) or hypoiodine (IO^–)
6. Trioxosulfate (IV) or sulfite (SO₃^2-)

Examples of cations

The cations They are the positive ions that are characterized by a deficiency of electrons in the outermost orbitals. These are usually metals, although sometimes there are non-metals that act as cations.

The size of these cations is less than that of neutral atoms and anions, because the loss of electrons occurs specifically in the outermost part.

The following list shows some common cations and groups them according to their oxidation number

Cations with oxidation number 1+

1. Cesium cation (Cs⁺)
2. Copper (I) or cuprous (Cu⁺)
3. Lithium cation (Li⁺)
4. Potassium cation (K⁺)

Cations with oxidation number 2+

1. Cation cobalt (II) or cobalt (Co²⁺)
2. Copper (II) or cupric (Cu²⁺)
3. Mercury (II) or mercuric (Hg) cation²⁺)
4. Lead (II) or plumbose cation (Pb²⁺)
5. Nickel (II) or nickel (Ni²⁺)
6. Tin (II) or stannous (Sn²⁺)

Cations with oxidation number 3+

1. Nickel (III) or nickel (Ni³⁺)
2. Magnanese (III) or manganous cation (Mn³⁺)
3. Chromium (III) or chromate (Cr³⁺)

Cations with oxidation number greater than 3+

1. Lead (IV) or lead (Pb) cation⁴⁺)
2. Manganese (IV) or manganic (Mn⁴⁺)
3. Chromium (VI) or chromic (Cr⁶⁺)
4. Manganese (VII) or permanganic (Mn⁷⁺)
5. Tin (IV) or stannic (Sn⁴⁺)

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