Question

A positively charged ion in a compound is called –
a.) Ion
b.) Neutral ion
c.) Anion
d.) Cation

Answer 1

Hint: Positive ions were attracted to the cathode in a galvanic device and the negative ions were attracted to the anodes and hence they were named accordingly because of that.

Complete step-by-step answer:
We may think that compounds are always electrically neutral as they have the same number of electrons as protons inside them, so the total or net negative charges of the electrons is balanced by the net positive charges of the protons.
However, this may not always be the case. Electrons can move from one atom to another as we already know and when they do so, species with overall electric charges are formed. Such electrically charged species are called ions.
A positive ion is called as cation as it has more protons than electrons, consequently giving it a net/total of positive charge. For the formation of cation to take place, one or more electrons must be lost by the atom, typically pulled away by atoms with a stronger affinity for them. The number of electrons lost, and so the charge of the ion, is indicated after the chemical symbol, for e.g. in the case of silver (Ag) loses one electron to become Ag+, while zinc (Zn) loses two electrons to become $Zn^{2+}$.
A negative ion is called an anion as it has more electrons as compared to the number of protons, consequently giving it an overall negative charge. For an anion to form, one or more electrons must be gained by the atom which may be typically pulled away by other atoms with a weaker affinity for them. And so thus, the number of electrons gained, and so the charge of the ion, is indicated after the chemical symbol, for e.g. the element chlorine (Cl) acquires one electron to become Cl-, whereas oxygen (O) gains two electrons to become $O^{2-}$.

Note – Cations can have various names. The current way of naming ions is to use the metal name, such as silver, followed in parentheses by the ionic charge written as a Roman numeral, such as (I). The electrical charge that an atom acquires is called sometimes as its oxidation state.