[guyatheart]

All right, so I think this is highschool level. I'm homeschooled, and at a highschool level as far as I know.

Anyway, I've been on a chapter in my book on the system we have for naming monoatomic ions, and polyatomic ions.

My question arose when I saw a table listing some common monoatomic ions--if an atom is an ion, does this mean it has to be bonded to another atom?

Is it possible for a single atom to be an ion on its own, unbonded? If so, where does the extra electron come from--or where did one go?

[AdiDex]

Yep it is possible that a free ion can exist.....but in general we can't isolate it..(as far as i know)
For example....
Free ions are available in water when we put some NaCl , in form of Na+ and  Cl-..but we can't isolate Na+ and Cl- , as ions are extremely unstable .
As you start to isolate it , it will react with something  as it is so reactive (or unstable)  in nature..( Ions are too small so just forget about to isolate single ion)

Do you know that everything around you contains ion...for example air also contain free ions , but they are very very few in number...they got electron from their surrounding ( as our surrounding have a enormous ammount of electron) ...atoms are colliding with each other and they are excghanging the ions very fastly...

[guyatheart]

thank you!

[AdiDex]

You got that..?
Any other question...if yes.. just ask me....
Feels happy when you help someone else....

[Borek]

You can isolate ions in vacuum.

[AdiDex]

Hey Borek ,

Can you tell me the whole process...??

[Borek]

Say, you start with metallic sodium.

First, you evaporate it to move it to gas phase.

Then, you ionize it with an electromagnetic radiation of a correct wavelength.

Then, you use magnetic and electric fields to separate charges and confine the ion (google Penning trap).