Question

A negative ion is (larger/smaller) than its parent atom. Why?

Answer 1

Answer:

When an atom attracts extra electrons it becomes a negative ion. The negative ion is larger than the original atom. The positive nucleus remains the same, with the same attractive force. However, this attractive force is now pulling on more electrons and therefore has less effect.

Or

Positive ions are formed by removing one or more electrons from the outermost region of the atom. The opposite is true of negative ions. When electrons are added to form an anion, the increased electron-electron repulsions cause the electrons to spread out more in space. Thus, anions are larger than their parent atoms.