What becomes of the atoms that have been stripped of electrons by electric generators?

Question

Electric generators must be destroying the world. Are these stripped atoms regaining their electrons somehow or are they just floating around empty or turning into some sort of "waste" atoms? Could there be an easier way to strip atoms of electrons than mechanical means?

? · Accepted Answer

Metals are basically nuclei floating in a see of free-ish electrons. The elections pulled to the right are replaced by electrons from the left. (And reverse that sixty times per second.) The reservoir is the Earth itself. You can't empty a swimming pool by taking buckets of water from the shallow end and dumping them into the deep end.

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Randy P · Answer

When electrons are pushed through a circuit to do useful work, other electrons take their place. Everything actually stays pretty much neutral.

Anonymous · Answer

Remember in metals like zinc and copper most of the electrons are bound not free.

fuzzykjun · Answer

got to be one of the stupidest pile of words in history,,,, generators don't strip electrons
go to school and learn basic electricity,,,

What becomes of the atoms that have been stripped of electrons by electric generators?

4 Answers