In chemistry an ion is an atom or molecule that has a positive or negative net electric charge. This means that the total number of electrons in an atom or molecule is not equal to its total number of protons. Negative and positive ions readily form ionic compounds due to their opposite electrical charges.

A cation is a positive ion and an anion is negative ion. Both terms were first used by British scientist Michael Faraday to help describe what he observed while experimenting with galvanic cells. Cations got their name because the positive ions were attracted to the cathode electrode and the negative charged ion anion was named so due to their attraction to the anode electrode.

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