What are the similarities between an atom and an ion?

Atoms vs. Ions. Atoms are neutral; they contain the same number of protons as electrons. By definition, an ion is an electrically charged particle produced by either removing electrons from a neutral atom to give a positive ion or adding electrons to a neutral atom to give a negative ion. "Chemical science" redirects here. read more

Main article: Ion. An ion is a charged species, an atom or a molecule, that has lost or gained one or more electrons. When an atom loses an electron and thus has more protons than electrons, the atom is a positively charged ion or cation. read more

An atom consists of three types of subatomic particles: neutrons, protons, and electrons. Neutrons and protons are both located in the nucleus of the atom; neutrons are neutrally charged particles and protons are positively charged particles. Electrons are negatively charged particles which orbit the nucleus of the atom. read more

An ion is an atom that has either a negative or positive charge dueto the gain or loss of electrons. Every ion is an atom, but notevery atom is an ion. read more