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Cation

A positively charged ion is called cation . The positive charge is a result of losing electrons. See the example below for potassium.

On the left, a potassium atom labelled K atom. The nucleus contains 19 protons and 20 neutrons, and the atom contains 19 electrons. On the right, a potassium <mute>cation </mute><say>cat-ion </say> labelled K superscript positive ion. The nucleus contains 19 protons and 20 neutrons, and the atom contains 18 electrons. A box on right says 19 protons minus 18 electrons equals positive 1 overall charge.

Figure 1: A potassium (K) atom has an equal number of protons and electrons (19) and is hence uncharged. In contrast, a potassium cation (K+) has lost one electron. This results in more protons than electrons and gives K an overall positive charge of +1. The charge is indicated by a superscript.

Referred from:

Article
Ions
Article
Electrolytic conductivity