How can you tell the ionic charges for elements by looking at the periodic table?

Question

How can you tell the ionic charges for elements by looking at the periodic table?
I know that group 1 elements have +1 charge, group 2 elements have +2 charge, and group 7 elements have -1 charge. However, how do I know what the charge is for groups 3, 4, 5, and 6?

Answer 1

Elements get their charge when they become an ion. The reason why group 1 gets a plus charge is because when interacting with another element it ends up giving away its electron in its valence orbital.. leaving it with one less electron the proton. That's where their plus charge comes from.



Group 6 will have a charge of -2, Group 5 with -3. Group 4 like carbon is more complicated because you don't generally see them as ions, but when bonding covalently to another atom it will form 4 bonds total. So I guess technically it will have either a charge of +4 or -4. Depending on whether it accepts electrons or gives electrons. The same sort of story happens with Group 3, this is mostly cause a portion of it's group is a metal as opposed to a metallic or non-metal. Boron and I believe Aluminium both are +3 but as you go further down the group there may be more then one possible charge. This charge you read like you would read other metals on the periodic table.



Hope this helps :)

Answer 2

Group 3 elements have a 3+ charge, group 4 has a 4+/- charge (they tend to share electrons), group 5 elements have a 3- charge, group 6 elements have a 2- charge, and as you said group 7 elements have a 1- charge.

Answer 3

An ionic bond is between a metal and a nonmetal. A molecular bond is between two nonmetals. Also Ionic bonds have just regular names like KCl-Potassium Chloride. Molecular bonds use prefixes like N2O5-Dinitrogen Pentoxide. The charge can be found by looking at a periodic table: Look at the group numbers, Groups 1 and 2 are positive, then you jump over the 14 thru 18 which are negative. Group 17 is negative 1 because it only needs one electron to fill the outer shell, hence the group 17 of 18. Barium Oxide: Ionic Barium- Cation +2 Charge Oxygen- Anion -2 charge Formula: BaO Copper (II) Phosphate Copper- Cation +2 charge (indicated by the (II) after copper) Phosphate- Ion (Anion) -1 charge Formula: Cu(PO4)2 Boron Trichloride Boron- Cation +3 Charge Chlorine- Anion -1 charge Formula: BCl3 Lithium Chloride: Lithium- Cation +1 Charge Chlorine- Anion -1 Charge Formula: LiCl

Answer 4

There is no easy way to tell, mainly because they can have different charges. Iron can be +3 or +2, copper can be the same.That's why you can get compounds like FeO (Ferrous Oxide) and Fe2O3 (Ferric Oxide).

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news. :P