Atoms or molecules that have gained or lost electrons, giving them an electric charge.
From Greek 'ion' (neuter of 'iens', going), chosen by chemist Michael Faraday in the 1830s because ions appear to 'go' through solutions. The term revolutionized understanding of electricity and chemistry.
Salt dissolved in water splits into ions—sodium and chloride—which is why saltwater conducts electricity but pure water doesn't! Your nerves and muscles literally work by moving ions across cell membranes, making this one of biology's most fundamental processes.
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