What kind of ions are formed when atoms lose electrons?

When atoms lose electrons, they become positively charged ions, commonly referred to as cations. This occurs because electrons carry a negative charge, and when they are removed from an atom, the overall charge of the atom shifts towards the positive side.

For example, if a sodium atom (which has 11 electrons and 11 protons) loses one electron, it will have 11 protons and only 10 electrons, leading to a net charge of +1. This positively charged ion is what is known as a cation. The formation of cations is a fundamental concept in chemistry, particularly in the context of ionic bonding, where positively charged ions attract negatively charged ions to form stable compounds.

Understanding this helps clarify why the other choices are not correct: neutral ions imply no charge, negative ions refer to anions formed when electrons are gained, and stating both positive and negative ions does not specifically address the situation of losing electrons. Thus, the formation of positive ions is a direct result of the loss of electrons from an atom.