When table salt, which is chemically sodium chloride is added to water, the salt readily dissolves in the water. Sodium chloride being an ionic compound ionizes into sodium ion, Na[tex]^{+}[/tex]and chloride, Cl[tex]^{-}[/tex].Sodium has an atomic number 11 and chlorine has an atomic number of 17.
Na-(2,8,1) can readily lose the outermost electron in order get a stable octet configuration on the valence shell. So, sodium forms a cation
Cl-(2,8,7) accepts an electron to complete the octet. So, chlorine forms an anion.
[tex]NaCl(aq) -->Na^{+}(aq)+Cl^{-}(aq)[/tex]
Sodium will form a cation and chlorine an anion when NaCl is dissolved in water.