Question

The size of cation is smaller than its parent atom. This is due to ________

Answer 1

We need to know what an atom is and how an atom turns into its cation or anion. Atoms are completely neutral; they have the same amount of protons as electrons. An ion is an electrically charged particle created by either withdrawing electrons from a neutral atom to generate a positive ion or adding electrons to a neutral atom to make a negative ion.

Complete answer:
We need to know that cations are atoms or molecules that have lost one or more electrons, leaving the atom or molecule with a net negative charge. This is because the number of protons now exceeds the number of electrons. As a result, there is a net charge, and the atom is no longer neutral. As a result of this electron loss when creating a cation, the cation is smaller in size than its parent atom. The cations are denoted by the parent element symbol and a positive charge as a superscript following the element symbol—for example, potassium cation would be denoted as ${K^ + }$.

Note:
Note that in an electrical field, positively charged cations move toward the negative electrode (cathode). It is also worth noting that the charge comes after the symbol of the parent atom and not before it. The potassium ion is monovalent, which means it has lost one electron and has a charge of one as ${K^ + }$. The magnesium cation's symbol would be $M{g^{2 + }}$ or $M{g^{ + + }}$ to signify that it has lost two electrons and has a $+ 2$ charge, making the magnesium cation a divalent cation. The parent element is simply referred to as the cations. The sodium cation is still referred to as "sodium." For clarity, the charge is frequently connected, thus the sodium cation may be referred to as "sodium one plus".