anion

American  

[an-ahy-uhn] / ˈænˌaɪ ən /

noun

Physical Chemistry.

1. a negatively charged ion, as one attracted to the anode in electrolysis.

2. any negatively charged atom or group of atoms (opposed to cation).

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anion British  

/ ˈænˌaɪən /

noun

1. a negatively charged ion; an ion that is attracted to the anode during electrolysis Compare cation

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anion Scientific  

/ ăn′ī′ən /

1. An ion with net negative charge, having more electrons than protons. In electrolysis, anions migrate to a positively charged anode.

2. Compare cation

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Other Word Forms

• anionic
  adjective
• anionically
  adverb

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Etymology

Origin of anion

Coined in 1834 by English polymath Willaim Whewell (1794–1866) and popularized by English chemist Michael Faraday (1791–1867) in his collection Experimental Researches in Electricity; from Greek, neuter of aniṓn “going up,” present participle of aniénai “to go up,” from an- an- ³ + iénai “to go”; modeled on anode ( def. )

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Explanation

An anion is an atom that has more electrons than protons—in other words, an anion is an atom with a negative charge. In a chemistry class, you'll come across the word ion frequently. That's an atom that either has extra electrons, giving it a negative charge, or is missing electrons, resulting in a positive charge. The negatively charged ions are called anions, and the positively charged ions are cations. In Greek, anion means "thing going up," which describes the movement anions make during the chemical process of electrolysis.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

anion

The researchers have now identified chloronitramide anion, chemically expressed as Cl-N-NO2−, as an end product of inorganic chloramine decomposition.

From Science Daily ● Nov. 21, 2024

"Synthetic anion binding is much more challenging because anions can be all kinds of shapes -- spherical, octahedral, even tetrahedral," Gong says.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 10, 2023

His plan is to explore anion batteries that provide the necessary components without using limited minerals like the ones lithium batteries use and that could potentially increase how much energy a battery can hold.

From Washington Times ● Nov. 12, 2022

The smaller of the holes is found between three anions in one plane and one anion in an adjacent plane.

From Textbooks ● Feb. 14, 2019

Both contain iron, it is true, but neither possess the properties of the cation Fe+++, but rather those of the complex anion of which they form a part.

From The Mechanism of Life by Stéphane Leduc

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