Question

How can a charged atom (an ion) attract a neutral atom? 1. the charged atom can hit the neutral atom and make it positively charged or negatively charged. 2. an ion polarizes a nearby neutral atom, so that the part of the atom nearer to the ion acquires a charge opposite to the charge of the ion, and the part of the atom farther from the ion acquires a charge of the same sign as the ion. 3. the charged atom can produce secondary electrons to interact with the neutral atom and make it positively charged or negatively charged. 4. the charged atom can emit x-rays to induce ionization of the neutral atom?

Answer 1

The answer would be 2. an ion polarizes a nearby neutral atom, so that the part of the atom nearer to the ion acquires a charge opposite to the charge of the ion, and the part of the atom farther from the ion acquires a charge of the same sign as the ion

In neutral atoms, the negative and positive charge spread evenly. The charge from an ion could create an electric field that will attract the charge of the neutral atoms.
The neutral atoms charge sum still zero, but the distribution of charge could be changed.