What charge will an atom carry after ionization takes place?

When ionization occurs, an atom either loses or gains electrons, resulting in a net electric charge. In the case of an atom that loses electrons, it will carry a positive charge because it has more protons than electrons. Each electron lost causes the overall charge of the atom to increase positively, as protons (which are positively charged) remain fixed in the nucleus while the negatively charged electrons are removed.

The specific charge may vary depending on how many electrons are lost. If an atom loses one electron, it will carry a charge of positive one, while losing two electrons would result in a positive two charge. However, the most general outcome of ionization through electron loss is to create a positively charged ion, thus making the correct answer positive one.

Atoms can also gain electrons during ionization, in which case they would carry a negative charge. However, in this context, the focus is on losing electrons, which leads to a positive charge. This highlights the fundamental concept of ionization and how it affects atomic charge balance.