The sodium, this became a cation, because it's positive.

钠，这变成了子，因为它是正的。

Cations are positively charged and anions are negatively charged.

子带正电， 阴子带负电。

So cations only react with anions to form new compounds.

所以子只与阴子反应形成新的化物。

Silver is also a metal and is also a cation.

也是一属， 也是一子。

But they're really just positively-charged cations — like calcium, sodium, and potassium — and negatively-charged anions, like phosphate, sulfate, and bicarbonate.

但它们实际上只是带正电荷的子——比如钙、钠和钾——和带负电荷的阴子，比如磷酸盐、硫酸盐和碳酸氢盐。

And don't just think that there's one anion and one cation.

不要只是认为只有一阴子和一子。

But how do we know which ions are cations and which are anions?

但是我们怎么知道哪些子是子哪些是阴子呢？

Alkali metals want nothing more than to dump off an electron and form a positive ion, or cation.

碱属只想释放电子并形成正子或子。

Now, when we name ionic compounds, we just say the cation first, and the anion second.

现在，当我们命名子化物时， 我们只是先说子， 然后再说阴子。

But the names of these ions change somewhat depending on whether they are cations or anions.

但是这些子的名称会根据它们是子还是阴子而有所不同。

Cations, for some reason, the name is just the element followed by the word " ion" .

子，出于某原因， 名称只是元素后跟“子” 一词。

They all form ions readily when they react with non-metals, and when they do, they always lose electrons, forming cations.

当它们与非属反应时， 它们都很容易形成子，当它们发生反应时， 它们总是失去电子， 形成子。

Iron, for example, in the middle there, forms cations, but they can have a charge of either two or three.

例如，铁在中间形成子， 但它们可以带两个或三个电荷。

Ions that have lost electrons, and therefore take on a positive charge, are cations. Whereas ones that gain electrons to become negative are anions.

失去电子并因此带正电荷的子是子。而那些获得电子变成负子的是阴子。

Next, you have the alkaline earth metals - reactive metals, but not as reactive as the alkali metals, forming cations with two positive charges instead of just one.

接下来，你有碱土属 - 活泼属， 但不像碱属那样活泼，形成带有两个正电荷而不是一个正电荷的子。