What happens to an atom when its outermost shell loses an electron?

Most atoms do not have eight electrons in their valence electron shell. Atoms that lose electrons acquire a positive charge as a result because they are left with fewer negatively charged electrons to balance the positive charges of the protons in the nucleus. Positively charged ions are called cations.

Why would atoms want to fill the outermost shell with electrons?

To achieve greater stability, atoms will tend to completely fill their outer shells and will bond with other elements to accomplish this goal by sharing electrons, accepting electrons from another atom, or donating electrons to another atom.

Can an atom can gain or lose electrons in its outer shell?

In order to have a full outer shell atoms can GAIN or LOSE electrons. LOSING ELECTRONS FOR A FULL SHELL – Atoms that have lost electrons have an excess of POSITIVE charge because they have more PROTONS than ELECTRONS. These positive ions are called CATIONS.

When an atom loses an electron it is called?

Explanation: When an atom gains/loses an electron, the atom becomes charged, and is called an ion. Losing an electron results in a positive charge, so atom ion is a cation.

When an atom loses an electron does it become smaller or larger?

When an atom loses one or more electrons, the resulting ion becomes smaller. If electrons are added to the atom, the ion becomes larger.

Why is a full outer shell stable?

Because when atoms bond they share electrons. If they have a full outer shell they don’t need to share electrons, so they don’t like to bond with other atoms.

Why atoms gain or lose electrons?

Explanation: Atoms and chemical species lose or gain electrons when they react in order to gain stability. Thus, typically, metals (with nearly empty outer shells) lose electrons to non-metals, thereby forming positive ions. The number of electrons depends on their position on the Periodic table (in simple terms).

Why do atoms lose or gain electrons quizlet?

atoms share ,gain, or lose electrons when chemical bonds form. ionic bonds form when electrons are transferred from one atom to another atom. ions of different elements can combine by forming ionic bonds . Atoms ,non-metal of elements tend to lose electrons when they form bonds.

Do electrons move from atom to atom?

Unlike protons, electrons can move from atom to atom. If an atom has an equal number of protons and electrons, its net charge is 0. If it gains an extra electron, it becomes negatively charged and is known as an anion.