Positive Vs. Negative Ions

A balanced atom has the same number of positively-charged protons as it has negatively-charged electrons. However, not all atoms are balanced and environmental changes make atoms lose or gain electrons, while the number of protons always changes. This change in electrons makes the atom a positive or negative ion, one that may have an affect on your health.

Atoms

All atoms contain neutrons and protons in the nucleus of the atom and electrons circling the nucleus. Neutrons have a neutral charge, while electrons produce a negative charge and protons a positive charge. Since electrons orbit the outside of an atom, it is the loss or gaining of electrons that determines whether an atom becomes a positive or negative ion.

Positive Ion Definition

An atom should have an equal balance of positive and negative charges. This means that the number of electrons and protons starts as equal. With time and exposure to the catalysts in the environment, atoms sometimes lose electrons. This gives the atom a greater number of protons than electrons, giving the ion a positive charge. These ions are called positive ions.

Negative Ion Definition

Just as some atoms lose electrons, other atoms gain additional electrons. This gives the ion an imbalance of negative charge overwhelming the positive protons. Therefore, ions with more electrons than protons are called negative ions.

Elements

Positive ions make up the metals of the periodic table, such as those found in Group I and Group II. Negative ions are found in the non-metal elements. Positive and negative ions are important when writing the elements, because they determine which ion is written first. Compounds which have both positive and negative ions are written with the positive ion first. Additionally, the number of positive and negative ions in an equation should balance out.

Theories/Speculation

Since the 1930s, exposure to negative ions has been linked to health benefits, first by Russian researcher A L. Tchijevski, who found that exposure to negative ions reduced the growth of bacteria. Later, during World War II, airplanes of pilots were subjected to negatively charged ions to reduce the chances of the pilots getting sick, and present day US submarines are equipped with negative ion producers. In contrast, for all but 5% of the population, exposure to positive ions is linked to a variety of unwanted side effects that include constriction of the veins and increase in respiration. Many machines exist on the market to boost the negative ion count in the home or office environment.