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Diagram showing field lines and equipotentials around an electron, a negatively charged particle. In an electrically neutral atom, the number of electrons is equal to the number of protons (which are positively charged), resulting in a net zero overall charge. Charge is the fundamental property of forms of matter that exhibit electrostatic attraction or repulsion in the presence of other matter.
According to Coulomb's law, these charged species should attract each other, and this attraction is what stabilizes the bond. When atoms lose or gain electrons, they become what are called ions. Loss of electrons leaves an atom with a net positive charge, and the atom is called a cation. Gain of electrons leaves an atom with a net negative charge, and the atom is called an anion. Some examples are: Special stability results when an atom, by losing or gaining electrons has as many valence electrons as a noble gas atom. In this case, we say that an atom or ion has a completed octet.