What is the difference between the two? I heard that a monatomic ion is only one atom but how could this be called an ion if it is only atom that has not shared electrons?

An example of a monoatomic ion would be Cl^-. It has clearly taken electrons from somewhere to get there and would have a counter ion, but it is still monoatomic. You don't need a covalent component for it to be ionic.

Yes - the misunderstanding is of what an ion is - it can be a single atom or a part compound that has a charge imbalance.

 

in Latin,, mono = 1 poly = many, so yes, a mono atomic ion only has one atom. Polyatomic = many (more than one) atom. The ion defines a charge imbalance.

 

The same prefixes are used for single unit building blocks (mono-mers) that can be reacted into chains of many of the initial repeating unit (poly-mers).

 

mer = unit. So monomer and polymer are single units and many units of a macromolecule.

Monoatomic ions consist of single atoms for example Cl^-.

Polyatomic ions consist of multiple atoms. In other words, it's a radical. For example NH₄⁺.

Polyatomic ions consist of multiple atoms. In other words, it's a radical.

"In chemistry, a radical (more precisely, a free radical) is an atom, molecule, or ion that has an unpaired valence electron."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radical_(chemistry)

Edited May 26, 20178 yr by Sensei