The number of protons in a cation must always be ________ the number of electrons.
greater than because positively charged
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The number of protons in a cation must always be less than the number of electrons.
The number of protons in a cation must always be less than the number of electrons.
To understand why, let's start with some background knowledge. Atoms are made up of protons, neutrons, and electrons. Protons have a positive charge, neutrons have no charge, and electrons have a negative charge.
In an atom, the number of protons is always equal to the number of electrons, which balances out the charges and creates a neutral atom. However, when an atom loses one or more electrons, it becomes a cation, a positively charged ion.
To determine the number of protons in a cation, you need to know the atomic number of the element. The atomic number represents the number of protons in an atom. For example, the atomic number of hydrogen is 1, meaning that it has one proton.
In a cation, the number of electrons is always less than the number of protons. This is because cations are formed when atoms lose electrons, resulting in an overall positive charge. The positive charge is equal to the number of lost electrons.
To find the number of protons in a cation, you can simply subtract the charge of the cation from the atomic number of the element. For instance, if a hydrogen atom loses one electron and becomes a cation with a +1 charge, it would have no electrons but still one proton.
So, in summary, the number of protons in a cation must always be less than the number of electrons to account for the positive charge that resulted from losing electrons.