Question

A cation carries positive charge due to?
A. Loss of electron
B. Gain of electrons
C. Gain of protons
D. None of this.

Answer 1

Hint: Metal atoms hold relatively small amounts of their electrons. As a result, they lose electrons and form cages. In contrast, most non-metallic atoms attract electrons more strongly than metallic atoms, and therefore make electrons ions.

Complete step by step answer: We know that if an atom has a balanced number of electrons (negative charge) and protons (positive charge), they are overall neutral. However, if they are not balanced, they will be charged. These charged species are called ions.
Now a cation has more protons than electrons, consequently giving it a net positive charge. For a cation to form, one or more electrons must be lost, typically pulled away by atoms with a stronger affinity for them.
The number of lost electrons, and therefore the charge of the ion, is indicated after the chemical symbol.
 Example is Silver\[(Ag)\] loses one electron to become $Ag^{+}$ while zinc $(Zn)$ loses two electrons to become $Z{n^{2 + }}$.
Cation carries positive charge due to loss of electrons. Thus, sodium loses one electron to form sodium cation. Sodium cation has unit positive charge.
$NA \to N{A^ + } + {E^ - }$
Hence, the correct option is A.

Note: Cations carry positive charges because they are atoms that lose electrons and become ions which are positive. They are formed by metal atoms and the metal item holds their electrons as they lose electrons from there one element to another.