What causes atoms to gain or lose electrons?
Flexi Says:
Atoms cannot only gain extra electrons. They can also lose electrons. In either case, they become ions. Ions are atoms that have a positive or negative charge because they have unequal numbers of protons and electrons. If atoms lose electrons, they become positive ions, or cations. If atoms gain electrons, they become negative ions, or anions. Consider the example of fluorine (see Figure here). A fluorine atom has nine protons and nine electrons, so it is electrically neutral. If a fluorine atom gains an electron, it becomes a fluoride ion with an electric charge of -1.
