One type of chemical process that can be either exothermic or endothermic is dissolving of salts in water. A salt is a compound made up of positively charged ions and negatively charged ions which are held together in a solid state because the positive and negative charges attract one another.
Identifying whether or not an element is an ion is a very simple process. Identify the charge of the element. ... The number of electrons is equal to the atomic number minus the charge of the atom. Refer to an element with either a positive or negative charge as an ion.
