cation
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cation
cation (kătˌīˈən), atom or group of atoms carrying a positive charge. The charge results because there are more protons than electrons in the cation. Cations can be formed from a metal by oxidation (see oxidation and reduction), from a neutral base (see acids and bases) by protonation, or from a polar compound by ionization. Cationic species include Na+, Mg++, and NH4+. The cations of the transition elements have characteristic colors in water solution. Salts are made up of cations and anions. See ion.
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cation
[′kat‚ī·ən] (chemistry)
A positively charged atom or group of atoms, or a radical which moves to the negative pole (cathode) during electrolysis.
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific & Technical Terms, 6E, Copyright © 2003 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
cation
a positively charged ion; an ion that is attracted to the cathode during electrolysis
Collins Discovery Encyclopedia, 1st edition © HarperCollins Publishers 2005
ion
(1) (IDL On the Net) See IDL.(2) (ION) An NVIDIA graphics platform typically used in Atom-based netbooks. See Intel Atom.
(3) An ion is an atom with fewer or greater electrons than normal as a result of radiation or chemical reaction. A positive ion, called a "cation" (pronounced "cat-eye-en"), has one or more electrons stripped out, which means it has fewer electrons in its electron shells than it has protons in its nucleus. A negative ion, called an "anion" (pronounced "an-eye-en"), is an atom that has one or more electrons forcibly added.
Cations, Anions, Cathodes and Anodes
Although one might think cations are in cathodes and anions are in anodes, the opposite is true. When the terms were coined, the concept was that positive cations were attracted to the negative cathode, and negative anions were attracted to the positive anode.
Batteries Contain Positive and Negative Ions
In a battery, there are positive ions on one side and negative ions on the other. When a conductor is placed in between to complete the circuit, the electrons flow from the negative ions to the positive side where they join the positive ions. See ion deposition.
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