Question

What are ions?Differentiate between cations and anions . 

Answer 1

if an electron is added to a neutral atom , it will become negatively charged.on the other hand , if an electron is removed from an atom , it will become positively charged.the charged atoms so formed are known as ions.

positively charged ions are known as cations and negatively charged ions are known as anions.

Answer 2

An ion is a positively or negatively charged atom. eg- sodiumand chloride ions.
   a positively charged ion is known as cation,which is formed by the loss of 1 or more electrones by an atom.a cation contains less electrones than a normal atom
eg-ions of all metals
   a negatively charged ion is known as anion,which is formed by the gain of 1 or more electrones  by an atom.an anion contains more electrones than a normal atom.