The Stability Of Ions: Comparison From Less Stable to More Stable
Ions may be either negatively or positively charged according to the net charge of the atom they are made up and the electrons that it has. You can compare the stability of ions based on their number and surrounding environment. Due to the greater likelihood of losing or gaining electrons, less stable ions are generally those with fewer protons. Cs+ (Cesium Ion) only has one proton in its nucleus. It is therefore less stable than K+ (Kitchen and Veselago, 2016). It is not only the number of protons within the nucleus that affects the stability, but also the environment surrounding the ion. Because positive ions have a tendency to repel and keep each other in place, they are much more stable around positively charged ions than surrounding them with negative ions (Peng et. al., 2002). But, in neutral environments, ions of higher charge to radius ratios are less stable because they are stronger at resisting being pulled apart by forces. (Gong, Zhang, 2018). Cont….