What is a group of atoms that gains or loses electrons called?

Question

A. a polar ion

B. a non-polar ion

C. a polyatomic ion

D. a common ion

E. None of the above

For this I got; C. a polyatomic ion. Is this correct?

Answer 1

Yep! "Polyatomic ion" can be broken down into a few pieces:

"Poly-" means many — think polygon and polymer.

"Atomic" is the adjective form of atom.

So far, we have "polyatomic," which means many atoms.

Lastly, we have "ion," which is a chemical species with a charge due to the loss or gain of (an) electron(s).

Therefore, a group of atoms that gains or loses electrons is a polyatomic ion, like you chose!