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Since the electric charge on a proton is equal in magnitude to the charge on an electron, the net electric charge on an ion is equal to the number of protons in the ion minus the number of electrons.
An anion (−) (/ˈæn.aɪ.ən/), from the Greek word ἄνω (ánō), meaning "up",[9] is an ion with more electrons than protons, giving it a net negative charge (since electrons are negatively charged and protons are positively charged).[10]
A cation (+) (/ˈkæt.aɪ.ən/), from the Greek word κάτω (káto), meaning "down",[11] is an ion with fewer electrons than protons, giving it a positive charge.[12]
There are additional names used for ions with multiple charges. For example, an ion with a −2 charge is known as a dianion and an ion with a +2 charge is known as a dication. A zwitterion is a neutral molecule with positive and negative charges at different locations within that molecule.[13]
Cations and anions are measured by their ionic radius and they differ in relative size: "Cations are small, most of them less than 10−10 m (10−8 cm) in radius. But most anions are large, as is the most common Earth anion, oxygen. From this fact it is apparent that most of the space of a crystal is occupied by the anion and that the cations fit into the spaces between them."[14]
A cation has radius less than 0.8 × 10−10 m (0.8 Å) while an anion has radius greater than 1.3 × 10−10 m (1.3 Å).[15]
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