The ion without a name
Sadly, she wandered the town without aim,
For she was an ion without a name,
A vagrant for whom none would put on a fuss,
When asked who she was, â€œI am Anonymousâ€

A couple of times she had guessed and been wrong,
About the square on the table to which she belonged.
â€œCrâ€? â€œBaâ€? â€œNâ€? â€¦ or â€œVâ€?
Her nucleus ached for identity.

One day an atom she met on a bus,
Said, â€œWhat is your name?â€ â€œI am Anonymous.â€
â€œMy dear, what a shame, such a beautiful dame;
I will help you discover your name.â€

He counted her electrons, aloud for kicks
1s 2 2s 2 2p 6
3s 2 3p 6 . Hmm, eighteen.
Alas, you are argon, the noble queen.

Hmmm, the number of electrons you cannot rely on
For figuring out the right name for an ion.
But I have an idea, it will all surmount,
Instead I will choose your neutrons to count.

Alas, it appeared you have got twenty
Indeed, you are the witch from the stories a-plenty.
The legend says â€˜gone are the days so halcyon
Once one crosses paths with the evil calcium.â€

I heard I was calciumâ€¦ another mistake?
He counted my neutrons, for goodnessâ€™ sake!â€
â€œMy dearest, today you are the luckiest lassâ€ -
The neutrons count merely affects your â€¦â€¦...â€

The name of an atom will only depend
On the number of protons. Period, the end.
Regardless of electrons or neutrons you own,
The proton count renders your name in stone.

And you got nineteen of themâ€¦ Beautiful day!
A â€¦â€¦â€¦â€¦â€¦. ion, attractive, I say!
And â€œI, an iodide ionâ€, he stated,
A bond quite â€¦â€¦â€¦â€¦â€¦. was created.

She stared at him proudly, happy and googly-eyed.
â€œA bond will forever connect both our nuclei!
And love with its magical presence shall honor us,
And I will never, ever again be â€œAnonymous!â€

The ion without a name Sadly, she wandered the town without aim,...