Editing Proton (section)

=== Hydrogen ion ===
{{See also|Hydron (chemistry)}}
[[File:Hydrogen.svg|thumb|220px|Protium, the most common isotope of hydrogen, consists of one proton and one electron (it has no neutrons). The term ''hydrogen ion'' ({{chem|H|+}}) implies that that H-atom has lost its one electron, causing only a proton to remain. Thus, in chemistry, the terms ''proton'' and ''hydrogen ion'' (for the protium isotope) are used synonymously.]]

{{quote box|width=20%|align=left|quote=The proton is a unique chemical species, being a bare nucleus. As a consequence it has no independent existence in the condensed state and is invariably found bound by a pair of electrons to another atom.|salign=right|source=Ross Stewart, ''The Proton: Application to Organic Chemistry'' (1985, p. 1)}}
In chemistry, the term ''proton'' refers to the hydrogen ion, {{chem|H|+}}. Since the atomic number of hydrogen is 1, a hydrogen ion has no electrons and corresponds to a bare nucleus, consisting of a proton (and 0 neutrons for the most abundant isotope ''protium'' {{nuclide|Hydrogen|1|link=yes}}). The proton is a "bare charge" with only about 1/64,000 of the radius of a hydrogen atom, and so is extremely reactive chemically. The free proton, thus, has an extremely short lifetime in chemical systems such as liquids and it reacts immediately with the [[electron cloud]] of any available molecule. In aqueous solution, it forms the [[hydronium ion]], H<sub>3</sub>O<sup>+</sup>, which in turn is further [[solvation|solvated]] by water molecules in [[Hydrogen ion#Cation (positively charged)|clusters]] such as [H<sub>5</sub>O<sub>2</sub>]<sup>+</sup> and [H<sub>9</sub>O<sub>4</sub>]<sup>+</sup>.<ref name="Headrick2005" />

The transfer of {{chem|H|+}} in an [[Brønsted–Lowry acid–base theory|acid–base reaction]] is usually referred to as "proton transfer". The [[acid]] is referred to as a proton donor and the [[base (chemistry)|base]] as a proton acceptor. Likewise, [[biochemistry|biochemical]] terms such as ''[[proton pump]]'' and ''[[proton channel]]'' refer to the movement of hydrated {{chem|H|+}} ions.

The ion produced by removing the electron from a [[deuterium]] atom is known as a ''deuteron'', not a proton. Likewise, removing an electron from a [[tritium]] atom produces a ''triton''.