explain how an ion differs from an atom.
An atom has an equal amount of Electrons and Protons, but an ion is a particle with an uneven amount of Protons and Electrons. A Cation, having more Protons than Electrons and an Anion, having more Electrons than Protons.
An ion is an atom that has either gained or lost electrons. An ion has either a positive or negative charge, depending on whether it gained electrons (negative) or lost electr â¦ ons (positive), while an atom is electrically neutral.
An Ion makes up the electric charge of an atom. It can be a positively (+) charged atom or a negatively (-) charged atom, depending on the number of protons versus electrons. â¦ On the other hand, an atom is the smallest part of an element composed of electrons, protons, and the nucleus. So, ion-atoms with the same number of protons but a different number of electrons.