What is formed when an atom loses an electron?

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When an atom loses an electron, it becomes positively charged due to having more protons (positively charged particles) than electrons (negatively charged particles). This positively charged species is called a cation. The loss of an electron reduces the overall negative charge of the atom, resulting in a net positive charge.

In contrast, an anion is formed when an atom gains an electron, which increases the negative charge. A neutral atom maintains an equal number of protons and electrons, so it would not be formed through the loss of an electron. An isotope refers to variants of a chemical element that have the same number of protons but different numbers of neutrons; this situation does not involve the loss or gain of electrons, thus is not relevant to this question either.

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