Anions are formed through the process of electron gain, where an atom gains one or more electrons to achieve a stable octet configuration, similar to the nearest noble gas.
Naming anions involves changing the ending of the element's name to "-ide". For example, the anion of chlorine is called chloride, and the anion of oxygen is called oxide.
Anions generally have larger ionic radii compared to their parent atoms. This is because the addition of extra electrons increases the electron-electron repulsion, causing the outermost electron shell to expand.