CATION

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does cation mean? 

• CATION (noun)
  The noun CATION has 1 sense:

1. a positively charged ion

  Familiarity information: CATION used as a noun is very rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• CATION (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

A positively charged ion

Classified under:

Nouns denoting natural objects (not man-made)

Hypernyms ("cation" is a kind of...):

ion (a particle that is electrically charged (positive or negative); an atom or molecule or group that has lost or gained one or more electrons)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "cation"):

hydrogen ion (a positively charged atom of hydrogen; that is to say, a normal hydrogen atomic nucleus)

diazonium (the univalent cation R-N:N- (where R is an aromatic hydrocarbon); found in salts that are used in manufacturing azo dyes)

Derivation:

cationic (of or relating to cations)

 Context examples 

A monovalent cation that is metabolized much like sodium and is important in many cellular functions inside or on the surface of cells.

(Lithium Cation, NCI Thesaurus)

Phosphoric acid is a sequestering agent which binds many divalent cations, including Fe++, Cu++, Ca++, and Mg++.

(Phosphoric acid, NCI Thesaurus)

Methyl green is a cation, which binds rather specifically to DNA and thus serves as a convenient means of staining nuclei in both fixed material and living cells.

(Methyl Green Pyronine Staining Method, NCI Thesaurus)

This gene may play a role in cation transport.

(NKAIN2 Gene, NCI Thesaurus)

Inhibition of this enzyme in the kidney prevents excretion of hydrogen, leading to increased bicarbonate and cation excretion and increased urinary volume, which results in an alkaline diuresis.

(Acetazolamide, NCI Thesaurus)

The citrate salt of lithium, a monovalent cation with antimanic activity.

(Lithium Citrate, NCI Thesaurus)

Magnesium is a divalent cation essential for a number of biochemical processes involved in nerve signaling, bone mineralization and muscle contractions.

(Magnesium Acetate, NCI Thesaurus)

This triggers hydrolysis of cGMP by activating a transducin-phosphodiesterase 6 (PDE6) cascade, which results in closure of the cGMP-gated cation channels (CNG) in the plasma membrane and membrane hyperpolarization.

(Phototransduction Pathway, NCI Thesaurus/KEGG)

Ca2+ entry via receptor-activated cation channels (RACC) and/or store-operated or capacitative (SOC) elevates [Ca2+]i and stimulates endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS).

(Ion Channels in Vascular Endothelium Pathway, NCI Thesaurus/BIOCARTA)

The determination of the concentrations of anions, such as chloride and bicarbonate, subtracted from the concentration of cations, such as sodium and potassium, present in a plasma or serum sample.

(Anion Gap Measurement, NCI Thesaurus)