Ions dealing with science here?

Question

What the hell is an ion i fell asleep in class and wikipedia is even more confusing?also whats a valence electron?

Answer 1

An ion is an atom with a + or - charge. They get these charges by adding or losing electrons. The reason they add or lose electrons is to get the same number of valence electrons as the nearest noble gas - this gives them some chemical stability.

Valence electrons are the ones in the outer electron shell. There are normally 1-8 valence electrons. The group number above each group tells how many valence electrons the atoms in that group have. Use the 1A, 2A, 3A, etc. to determine the number of valence electrons.