What is an ion ?

Explanation

Ion. Compounds composed of metals and non-metals contain charged species. The charged species are known as lons. An ion is a charged particle and can be negatively or positively charged. A negatively charged ion is called an anion and the positively charged ion, a .cation..
Example. The constituent particles of sodium chloride (NaCl) are positively charged sodium ions `(Na^(+))` and negatively charged chloride ions `(Cl^(-))`, Ions may consist of a single charged atom or a group of atoms that have a net charge on them. A group of atoms carrying a charge is known as a polyatomic ion.