Flexi Says: One way to find the charge on an ion is to refer to the periodic table. Usually, the charge of an element is common to its group. The trends are listed below:
Group 1 (Alkali Metals): 1+
Group 2 (Alkaline Earth Metals): 2+
Groups 3-12 (Transition Metals): Variable positive charges
Lanthanide and Actinide Series: Variable positive charges
Group 13: 3+
Group 14: 4+ or 4-
Group 15: 3-
Group 16: 2-
Group 17 (Halogens): 1-
Group 18 (Noble Gases): 0
