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Cations and anions are measured by their ionic radius and they differ in relative size: "Cations are small, most of them less than 10 −10 m (10 −8 cm) in radius. But most anions are large, as is the most common Earth anion, oxygen .
The name of the cation (the unmodified element name for monatomic cations) comes first, followed by the name of the anion. [100] [101] For example, MgCl 2 is named magnesium chloride, and Na 2 SO 4 is named sodium sulfate (SO 2− 4, sulfate, is an example of a polyatomic ion).
Cations are positively (+) charged ions while anions are negatively (−) charged. This can be remembered with the help of the following mnemonics. Cats have paws ⇔ Cations are pawsitive. [27] Ca+ion: The letter t in cation looks like a + (plus) sign. [28] An anion is a negative ion. (An egative ion ⇒ Anion). [29]
The cation is always named first. Ions can be metals, non-metals or polyatomic ions. Therefore, the name of the metal or positive polyatomic ion is followed by the name of the non-metal or negative polyatomic ion. The positive ion retains its element name whereas for a single non-metal anion the ending is changed to -ide.
When a salt of a metal ion, with the generic formula MX n, is dissolved in water, it will dissociate into a cation and anions. [citation needed]+ + (aq) signifies that the ion is aquated, with cations having a chemical formula [M(H 2 O) p] q+ and anions whose state of aquation is generally unknown.
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SO 3 2− trioxidosulfate(2−) (additive), or sulfite (acceptable non-systematic name) A full list of the alternative acceptable non-systematic names for cations and anions is in the recommendations. Many anions have names derived from inorganic acids and these are dealt with later.
Like the periodic table, the list below organizes the elements by the number of protons in their atoms; it can also be organized by other properties, such as atomic weight, density, and electronegativity. For more detailed information about the origins of element names, see List of chemical element name etymologies.