If you are not good at chemistry and don’t know about atoms and their structure or ions and their formation or if you want to know how do negative and positive ions affect human bodies, both mentally and physically, what can be done to purify the air? Then you have come to the right place for guidance. Without any hold-up let’s answer your queries.

IONS:

What is an Ion?

An Ion is defined as an atom that has an electric charge on it. An Ion is formed and gets an electric charge when it gains or loses one or more electrons of its outermost shell called the valence shell. It gets a net positive charge when it gives an electron and conversely, a net negative charge when it gains an electron from any other atom.
You can also define ion as an atom whose number of protons and electrons are not equal.

These ions are further categorized into two;
Positive and negative ions or also known as cations and anions, that will discuss later in detail.

Definition of Ion:

The word Ion comes from the Greek language. In Greek, Ion or ienai means to “go”. As it is the fundamental nature of these atoms and ions to keep moving around thus the name Ion.

History of Ion:

The term Ion was introduced by an English chemist and physicist Michael Faraday in 1834. He used this term to describe a chemical species in one of his experiments that these species could travel between an electrode to another in an aqueous solution. He could not identify the particles at that time but came to a conclusion, that the metals dissolved into an aqueous solution at one electrode are deposited to the other electrode. So these species must be moving under the influence of some electrical current.

Examples:
There a number of ions found e.g.

NameFormula
CalciumCa 2+
SulfideS 2-

 

You can check out for more as well.

How Are Ions Formed?

Atoms have a tendency to complete their outermost shell called the valence shell. This is the octet rule.
This rule says that an atom must have its outermost shell completely filled as they follow the configuration of the nearest noble gases.

If an atom has valence shell partially filled or empty, it is unstable and highly reactive. It will form a bond with some atom by either giving or gaining an electron to complete its valence shell and form a balanced and stable configuration of electrons.

Moreover, the number of protons and the number of electrons in an atom are equal but when an atom gains or loses an electron(s), the imbalance occurs between the number of protons and that of electrons which leads to a net positive charge or negative charge on the ion.

What Are the Positive and Negative Ions?

If you want to know more about what positive and negative ions are, we have already explained it comprehensively in our guide.

What Are the Positive Ions?

When an atom loses one or more election(s) to complete its outermost shell, it is known as a positive ion. They gain a positive charge in the process.

Positive ions, in terms of science, are also known as CATIONS. They carry a net positive charge because the number of protons outweighs the number of electrons.
Positive ions are denoted by a “+” sign preceding the superscript of their chemical formula. The number following the “+” sign indicates the number of charges.

Example: Metals usually tend to form positive ions as they have the tendency to lose an electron(s) from its outermost shell e.g. copper, gold, silver, and sodium, etc.

Effects of Positive and Negative Ions

Whether positive or negative ions have an impact on human life. As these ions are naturally occurring and can be found anywhere. So, they play an important role. Let’s check them out individually.

Negative Ions and Their Effects on the Human Body:

Studies have shown that negative ions have a good impact on human life, unlike their names. Exposure of negative ions to the human body can have a positive impact on the human body. They have many benefits which include improved mental and physical health. : Source
Researchers claim that in a study of 2013, it was observed that exposure to negative ions can help reduce symptoms of depression and less exposure to negative ions can result in seasonal depression.

In a recent study of 2018, researchers looked at 100 years of studies and found evidence that negative ions can help;

  1. Reduced symptoms for depression and anxiety
  2. Elevate a person’s mood
  3. Increase energy levels
  4. Reduce stress levels
  5. Help regulate sleep patterns
  6. Deep periods of sleep
  7. Boost immune system
  8. Increase metabolism to burn fats and carbs
  9. Kill many bacteria in the environment
  10. Kill airborne allergens; pollen, viruses, etc.
  11. Kill asthma causing triggers.
  12. Enhance immune function along with purifying the blood.

Negative ions are naturally occurring ions that are around us and areas that have a concentration of negative ions are very beneficial to the body. Negative ions naturally occur around us but they have a high concentration in clean areas such as; beach, forests, in the atmosphere after a thunderstorm, waterfalls, mountains, etc. Therefore, you feel better, healthy, and very much peaceful when you take a walk in the forests, or on the beach or after a thunderstorm.

Positive Ions and Their Effects on the Human Body:

Positive ions, unlike their names, have negative impacts on the human body. In many studies, it is observed that the concentration of positive ions around a human body can lead to many problems;

  1. Respiratory ailments
  2. Bad mood and low energy levels
  3. Increased stress, depression, and anxiety.
  4. Increase in asthma triggers
  5. Increase in allergens and pollens

Positive ions are found abundantly in crowded areas, polluted cities, confined spaces such as indoors, rooms and offices, etc.

Positive ions are generated through electronic devices such as televisions, phones, and computers. They are found in abundant in crowded and industrial areas. Fluorescent lighting, paints, carpets, etc. also add up positive ions into the air.

It has been proved that the air inside our houses is more polluted than the outside.

Why Is It Important to Breathe Good Air?

As stated earlier, researches and studies have shown that our houses don’t have good air. Rather air in our house is much more polluted than the outside. All the electronic devices, food smells, and odors all make up for polluted air in our house.

If you want to stay healthy, what do you do? You eat good and healthy food, you stay hygienic, neat, and follow a very disciplined lifestyle but the most neglected factor is the pure clean air.

You must need pure, clean, bacteria, and viruses-free air to breathe if you want to stay healthy. We don’t pay much attention to this. We can control the rest of the factors but we can’t control the air we breathe. Well not anymore, there are many products that can help you do this.

How to Improve Air Conditions Indoors?

If you search the internet for how can you improve your air, you’ll come across two main terms, Air Ionizers and Air Purifiers. Both of these mentioned are products that can purify the air from the room and make it healthy and suitable to breathe. They can both:

  1. Remove contaminants from the air
  2. Make it suitable to breathe
  3. Kill bacteria and virus
  4. Remove the dust
  5. Remove the smell and odor

You cannot do anything about the air outdoors but, however, these products give you control over the air you breathe. You can easily get these products online and just sit and relax.

Air Purifier Vs Air Ionizer

Studies have shown that the use of Air Purifiers or Ionizers can remove the dust and particles from the room. Both of these products are widely used. But which product to choose between Air Purifier Vs Ionizer.

Both of these products clean the air and purify it but both of them work on separate ways and operate differently as well to perform the same operation. Both have different pros and cons, working mechanism, and maintenance cost, etc. So, before you get one, you need to consider some of these important aspects so that you can make a wise decision. Let’s check them out one by one.

Air Purifier

The air purifiers are an air cleaning product that will help you purify the air from the room. It helps kill many bacteria and viruses from the room that can cause respiratory ailments. It removes positive ions from the room and purifies the air from dust, molds, allergens, odors, and smoke as well. It uses filters to clean the air. The particles from the air are trapped in the filters and then clean air is pushed back again into the room. The touting feature of these purifiers is its accuracy. It can trap particles that are not visible to human eyes. But these purifiers have some drawbacks as well. Let’s check them out.

Working

These Air Purifiers operate by using filters. Air is trapped into these filters and then after purification, it is pushed back into the room. These purifiers use new advanced technology filters called HEPA (High-efficiency particulate air) filters.

They have multiple layers that can trap all the dust and contaminants from the air in no time. These filters can even trap microscopic-particles that are greater than 0.3 microns, which is a very small size.

Keeping in mind that our human eye isn’t cable to see any particles less than 50 to 60 microns

Air Purifier Pros

After many types of research, it has been observed that these purifiers contribute a lot to a healthy life.

Removes Asthma Triggers

Asthma is caused by dirt, carbon mono-oxide, perfumes, hair sprays, paints, etc. All these things trigger asthma. Air purifiers can remove all of the triggers of asthma and save them from respiratory issues.

Removes Odor

There can be multiple odors indoors; whether it be food or basement odors, these purifiers can remove them all.

Removes Allergens, Dust, Molds, And Pollen

Dust causing particles can be removed. Moreover, pollen and allergens are filtered out through HEPA filters.

Reduce Smoke From The Room

Purifiers use a distinct feature, activated carbon filter. This can remove the smoke from the room including tobacco, and cigarette, etc.

Elevate Mood Levels

Fresh air contributes to positive mood levels and low chances of depression.

Less Chance Of Respiratory Ailments

Most of the particles that can cause respiratory issues will be removed from the air and trapped inside the HEPA filters, leaving you with fresh air to breathe.

Reduced Stress

The use of air purifiers has shown a reduction in stress levels. As there is fresh air to breathe, one’s mind gets fresh and stress levels are reduced.

Peaceful And Improved Sleeping Patterns

It helps in improved sleeping patterns. One can sleep peacefully and calmly after using this product.

Air Purifier Cons:

Maintenance Cost

Air Purifiers use HEPA filters, which are advanced technology filters that are capable to trap very small particles as well, including those that the human eye isn’t capable of seeing but these filters need to replace from time to time, so these filters come with a price and are expensive. You need to change them after some time which can cost you.

Home ionizer

Another product for purifying the indoor is air ionizer or home ionizer. It operates differently than air purifiers but removes dirt particles from the room and freshens the air. It uses the ion generating mechanism to purify the air and make it suitable to breathe. It generates negative ions into the atmosphere. These generated ions counteract with the positive ions of dust, molds, allergens, pollen, and many other bacteria and viruses that are present in the atmosphere. Let us probe into some details on its working

Working

Dirt particles are present in the air which makes the air unhealthy. But this air ionizer can help remove that dust, allergens, pollen, molds, and many bacteria and virus by simply generating negative ions. These negative ions form a bond with these contaminating particles present in the air. After this bond, the size of these particles gets heavy and a particle can’t stay airborne for much longer if it’s weight gets heavy. Consequently, they drop on the floor or nearby area. Resulting in fresh and purified air in the room. These dropped particles can be easily later swept away.

Most of the ionizers come with a specially charged plate that attracts these particles towards itself and you can easily wash and re-use it again without any additional cost, unlike HEPA filters that need time to time replacement and are expensive as well.

Best Air Purifiers To Buy In 2021

Air purifiers have been helping people to access clean air to breathe and make the environment eco friendly. Here is the list of some of the best air purifiers to buy in 2021.

Home Ionizer Pros:

There are a variety of different benefits of using home ionizers. There have been more than 100 years of research on negative ions and their impacts on humans

Boosted Immune System

Some researches back that using of these ionizers can help boost the immune system

Elevated Mood

Fresh air in the room results in an elevated and positive mood.

Reduced Stress and Depression

Moreover, fresh air contributes to fewer stress levels and reduces depression as well.

Abundant negative ions

As mentioned earlier, there have been more than 300+ researches that show how exposure to negative ions can have multiple positive impacts on human life.

Source

  1. Strengthen Bones
  2. Increased metabolism

Cons

Ozone generators sold as Ionizers

Some ionizers use ozone as well. They generate ozone into the atmosphere which is a naturally occurring substance but a higher concentration of this can lead to many problems and breathing issues.

Also, Ozone generators that are sold as Ionizers are harmful. Ozone (O3) is a naturally occurring substance that fights with dust, and all bacteria and viruses, etc.
Research says that ozone can have serious harmful effects too.

Final Words

After going through this guide, you’ll be able to answer most of the queries such as what are ions and how they are formed, what are the types of ions and what impact they have on the human body, the differences between an air purifier and air ionizer. How they both work and operate, maintenance cost, etc.
Now you can make a wise decision for yourself according to your needs.

Frequently Asked Questions

What Are Ion and Example?

An ion is an atom that carries an electric charge with it. There are two types of ions; positive and negative ions e.g. H+ and H3O+

What Do You Mean by Ions?

Ions or ion is an atom or group of atoms that have the number of protons different than the number of electrons of the outermost shell called the valence shell. If the number of a proton is less than electrons it is called a negative ion, and if the number of the proton is greater than electrons, it is called a positive ion.

What Are Ions Used for?

Ions are created by radiation such as X-Rays. Ionizing radiation is used to treat many medical diseases. Ions are also found in human bodies as electrolytes such as sodium, potassium, calcium, chloride, and bicarbonate. Source

What Are Ions and How Are They Formed?

Ions are atoms that have their number of electrons different than the number of protons. Ions are formed when the outermost shell of atoms in uncompleted. To complete the outermost shell, they follow the octet rule and form bonds with other unstable atoms.

How Do You Know if Something is an Ion?

Ions can be represented in two ways. One is checking if its formula has a “+” or “- “sign at the end. The other way is to check if the number of protons is equal to the number of electrons.

How Are Ions Formed Examples?

Ions are formed when atoms have an unstable configuration of electrons. They form bonds with other atoms to become stable. Examples are:

  • Water (H2O) reacts with (H+) to form the molecular cation H3O+
  • Na has one electron in its outermost shell. It tends to lose that one electron to be stable and become a positive ion, NA+

Why Do We Need Ions in Our Body?

Our body has body fluids that are made up of electrolytes or ions. These electrolytes are necessary for the body. High or low levels of these electrolytes can lead to serious life threats.

What Are the Two Types of Ions?

Ions are categorized into two broad groups; positive and negative ions, also known as cations and anions. Positive ions have the number of protons that are greater than the number of electrons. Negative ions have the number of protons less than the number of electrons.

How Do You Classify Ions?

Ions are classified into two groups depending upon their nature of accepting or giving an electron(s). Positive ions are the donor as they donate an electron while Negative ions are acceptors as they accept electrons from other atoms.

Do Humans Have Ions?

Yes, human bodies do have ions; both negative and positive as well. Positive ions that can be found in human bodies are sodium, calcium, and magnesium as well. While negative ions that are in human bodies are chloride, bicarbonate, etc.

What Ions Are Important to Living Things?

Living things have body fluids made up of electrolytes. These electrolytes are made up of different ions in a liquid state. Without these electrolytes, life cannot exist. They are necessary to maintain proper blood pressure, rebuild tissues, and many other important functions.

What Are the Most Common Ions in the Human Body?

The human body contains electrolytes which are ions basically. Electrolytes are made up of sodium, potassium, chloride, bicarbonate, calcium, phosphate, magnesium, copper, zinc, iron, manganese, molybdenum, and copper.

How Do You Get Negative Ions?

Negative ions are naturally generated near forests, waterfalls, beaches, ocean, and in the air after a thunderstorm, etc. That’s why a person feels very comfortable and relaxing near these areas. To generate negative ions indoors, Air Purifiers or Air Ionizers are used. They can generate negative ions indoors to remove pollution.

What is the Opposite of an Ion?

Ion is, simply, a charged atom. There is no such opposition to it. But you can say that the opposite of ion is an uncharged or neutral atom that is neutral and its electronic configuration is stabilized.

How Do You Make an Ion?

When an unstable atom forms a bond with another atom to complete its outermost shell following the octet rule, it is called an ion. There are two types of ions; cations and anions.

Summary
What Do Ions Mean in Science? Detail Guide How IT Affect Human Body.
Article Name
What Do Ions Mean in Science? Detail Guide How IT Affect Human Body.
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Ions are the electrically charged atoms formed by the gain or loss of one or more than one electron. Find more about the ion examples, types read this guide.
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Home Ionizer
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