Charge on Ions
This table summarizes the charge of ions formed by
representative elements
.
Group
Number of valence electrons
gain or lose electrons
charge of ions
examples
IA
1
lose 1 electron
+1
H
+
, Li
+
, Na
+
, K
+
IIA
2
lose 2 electrons
+2
Mg
+2
, Ca
+2
, Sr
+2
IIIA
3
lose 3 electrons
+3
Al
+3
, Ga
+3
IVA
4
Group IVA elements have a tendency to share electrons instead of gaining or losing valence electrons
VA
5
gain 3 electrons
-3
N
-3
, P
-3
VIA
6
gain 2 electrons
-2
O
-2
, S
-2
VIIA
7
gain 1 electron
-1
F
-
, Cl
-
VIIIA
Complete octet makes the noble gases unreactive