ZYWICKI GREENHOUSES BELLEVILLE MI

The charge on an atom is determined by the number of protons in its nucleus. The number of protons in an element's nucleus determines how strong the atom's nucleus is held together (termed "atomic number"). If there are more protons than electrons, the atom has a net positive charge; if there are more electrons than protons, then the atom has a net negative charge; and if there are equal numbers of protons and electrons, the atom is electrically neutral. Atoms can gain or lose electrons, which causes them to become charged (ionized). When an atom loses an electron, it becomes positively charged; when it gains an electron, it becomes negatively charged. The most common way that atoms become ionized is by contact with other ions in solution. For example, when sodium metal (Na) comes into contact with chlorine gas (Cl2), each chlorine molecule steals an electron from a sodium atom, forming sodium chloride (NaCl). In this process, the sodium atoms become positively charged and the chlorine atoms become negatively charged.