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The net charges of elemental nickel, iodine, and gold are ZERO

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The net charges of elemental nickel, iodine, and gold are ZERO.

Matter of course is electrically neutral. For every positive charge, there is a corresponding negative charge. To be sure, CAN FORM ions, by the loss or gain of electrons. Metals tend to lose electrons to form cations, and non-metals (to the right of the Periodic Table) tend to gain electrons to form anions.

Common ions of the given elements are ##Ni^(2+)##, ##I^-##, and ##Au^+##, and ##Au^(3+)##. You can supply the on each.

Why can't an element lose a positive charge (i.e. a nuclear proton) to form a negative ion?