How does an atom change if all of its electrons are removed

Subject : Chemistry

Question: How does an atom change if all of its electrons are removed?

A) The atom’s volume increases.

B) The atom’s mass increases.

C) The atom becomes positively charged.

D) The atom becomes negatively charged.

Expert Verified Solution:

The correct answer is:

C) The atom becomes positively charged.

Explanation: An atom is neutral when it has an equal number of protons (positively charged) and electrons (negatively charged). If all of an atom’s electrons are removed, there are no negatively charged particles left to balance the positive charge of the protons in the nucleus. As a result, the atom becomes positively charged, forming a positively charged ion, also known as a cation. The removal of electrons does not affect the atom’s mass significantly since electrons have much less mass compared to protons and neutrons. Similarly, removing electrons does not directly increase the atom’s volume. Therefore, the correct answer is that the atom becomes positively charged.