It is unlikely to enter chemical bonds with other atoms. More commonly, the outermost electron level is not completely filled. Atoms in this condition are chemically active, and will tend to gain, lose, or share electrons in order to complete their outermost energy levels. We'll consider chemical bonds and molecules in the next exercise. Ions Ions are charged particles, produced when an atom gains or loses one or more electrons.
Ionization is likely to occur when an atom has a partially occupied outer electron energy level.
Ionization is especially likely if the complete atom has only 1 or 2 electrons in its outermost energy level, or if it is only 1 or 2 electrons away from completing the full occupation of the energy level. For example, both hydrogen and sodium have only one electron in their outermost electron level. They are both likely to release the single electron in that ring. This will give the atom an imbalance between the number of electrons and the number of protons. Since they have more protons than electrons, they now have a net positive charge and are considered to be positive ions.