In general, atoms that have low ionization energies tend to form cations. Ionization energy is a measure of how much energy input is required to remove an electron from the atom. Whether an atom will form a cation depends on the atom’s ionization energy. More electronegative elements, like oxygen or fluorine, pull very hard on electrons, so they are more likely to form anions by stealing electrons from other atoms. Electronegativity is a measure of how much an atom pulls on electrons. Whether or not an atom will form an anion depends on its electronegativity. “Life is not found in atoms or molecules or genes as such, but in organization not in symbiosis but in synthesis.” - Edwin Grant Conklin Negatively charged ions are called anions and positively charged ions are called cations. If the atom loses electrons, it will have an abundance of positive charges and will take on an overall positive charge. When this happens, the atom no longer has equal amounts of opposite electric charges, so the atom will take on an overall charge and become an ion If the atom gains electrons, it will have an abundance of negative charges, and will take on an overall negative charge. Since protons and electrons have equal and opposite charges (+1 and −1 respectively) atoms with equal numbers of protons and electrons will be electrically neutral as each positive charge is canceled out by a corresponding negative charge and vice versa.Ītoms can gain or lose electrons. Normally, atoms contain an equal number of protons and electrons. Let’s take a step back from zinc and first review what, exactly, an ion is. Compounds made out of zinc ions tend to adopt a symmetric crystalline structure and have a colorless luster like iron. Zinc is also an essential trace mineral required for signal transduction and transcription in eukaryotic cells. Zinc oxide (ZnO) for example, is mass-produced as a semiconductor for use in electronics, while zinc sulfide (ZnS) is used as an optical material in infrared devices. Zinc ions form a number of compounds that have practical applications. Because it has an ion charge of +2, zinc ions are strong reducing agents and readily form ionic bonds. As zinc is a metal, it generally forms metallic compounds with other metals. Zinc will rarely form ions with a +1 charge but it will never form ions with a negative charge. Zinc most commonly forms positively charged cations with a charge of +2. The atomic number of zinc is 30 meaning that its nucleus contains 30 protons. Zinc (Zn) is a metal located in the group 12 of the d-block on the periodic table.

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