+ Periodic Table Charges & oxidation states
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Periodic Table With Charges

A periodic table with charges shows the common ionic charges and oxidation states formed by chemical elements. Group 1 elements commonly form +1 ions, Group 2 elements form +2 ions, and Group 17 elements commonly form -1 ions. Transition metals may form ions with more than one charge.

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Interactive periodic table of elements with charges

Select any element to see its common ion notation, ionic charges, oxidation states and valence electrons. Colours group elements by the kind of charge they usually form.

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No elements match those filters. Reset the filters or choose another charge. Showing all 118 elements
Positive ion (cation) Negative ion (anion) Multiple / variable charges No common monatomic ion Lanthanide or actinide (f-block)

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This table shows the most common ionic charges and oxidation states associated with each element. Some elements form more than one ion, and a blank charge means there is no common simple monatomic ion to display.

periodictablewithcharges.net — Periodic Table With Charges

Periodic table charges by group

A periodic table organises chemical elements by atomic number, and elements in the same group often share a common ionic charge because they have the same number of valence electrons.

GroupFamilyCommon chargeExample ion
1 Alkali metals +1 Na⁺
2 Alkaline earth metals +2 Mg²⁺
13 Boron group Often +3 Al³⁺
14 Carbon group ±4 (covalent) C in CO₂
15 Nitrogen group Often -3 N³⁻
16 Chalcogens Often -2 O²⁻
17 Halogens -1 Cl⁻
18 Noble gases Usually none Ne

These are typical patterns, not absolute rules. Group 13 and 14 elements often bond covalently, transition metals show variable charges, and hydrogen can form both H⁺ and H⁻. Use the interactive table above to check individual elements.

What does charge mean on the periodic table?

Atoms contain positively charged protons and negatively charged electrons. A neutral atom has equal numbers of each. When an atom loses electrons it becomes a positive ion, and when it gains electrons it becomes a negative ion.

Positive ions (cations)

A cation is a positively charged ion formed when an atom loses one or more electrons. Metals generally form cations. Common examples include Na⁺, Mg²⁺ and Al³⁺.

Negative ions (anions)

An anion is a negatively charged ion formed when an atom gains one or more electrons. Nonmetals often form anions. Common examples include Cl⁻, O²⁻ and N³⁻.

Why do transition metals have multiple charges?

Transition metals often form ions with more than one charge because they have partially filled d orbitals, so they can lose different numbers of electrons in different compounds. This gives them variable oxidation states.

Iron forms Fe²⁺ and Fe³⁺, copper forms Cu⁺ and Cu²⁺, chromium forms Cr²⁺ and Cr³⁺, and manganese ranges from Mn²⁺ through Mn⁴⁺ to Mn⁷⁺. Because the charge can vary, compound names use Roman numerals, such as iron(II) chloride and iron(III) chloride.

Ionic charge vs oxidation state

Ionic charge and oxidation state are related but should not be treated as interchangeable in every context. For a monatomic ion the two values match, but oxidation state can also be assigned to atoms inside neutral compounds.

Ionic chargeOxidation state
Actual net charge on an ionAssigned electron-counting value
Written as Na⁺ or Fe³⁺Written as +1, +2 or +3
Applies directly to ionsCan apply to atoms inside neutral compounds
For monatomic ions, charge equals oxidation stateMay not represent a localised physical charge

How to predict an element’s ionic charge

  1. Find the element’s periodic table group.
  2. Decide whether it is a metal or a nonmetal.
  3. Estimate whether it tends to gain or lose electrons.
  4. Check whether it is a transition metal with variable charge.
  5. Confirm the specific compound or chemical context.
  6. Use the interactive table above to verify common values.

Common element charges to memorise

A compact revision set of the ionic charges that come up most often.

H H⁺ / H⁻
Hydrogen ion or hydride
Li Li⁺
Group 1
Na Na⁺
Group 1
K K⁺
Group 1
Mg Mg²⁺
Group 2
Ca Ca²⁺
Group 2
Al Al³⁺
Group 13
F F⁻
Halogen
Cl Cl⁻
Halogen
Br Br⁻
Halogen
I I⁻
Halogen
O O²⁻
Chalcogen
S S²⁻
Chalcogen
N N³⁻
Nitrogen group
Fe Fe²⁺ / Fe³⁺
Transition metal
Cu Cu⁺ / Cu²⁺
Transition metal
Zn Zn²⁺
Reliable +2
Ag Ag⁺
Reliable +1

Complete element data table

Every element with its group, period, category, common ion notation, ionic charge and oxidation states. Type in the search box above to filter, or click a column heading to sort.

Periodic table of elements with common ionic charges and oxidation states. 118 elements sorted by atomic number.
# Element Symbol Group Period Category Common ion Ionic charge Oxidation states Ion type
1 Hydrogen H 1 1 Nonmetal H⁺, H⁻ +1, -1 +1, -1 Variable charge
2 Helium He 18 1 Noble gas — None — No common ion
3 Lithium Li 1 2 Alkali metal Li⁺ +1 +1 Cation-forming
4 Beryllium Be 2 2 Alkaline earth metal Be²⁺ +2 +2 Cation-forming
5 Boron B 13 2 Metalloid B³⁺ +3 +3 Cation-forming
6 Carbon C 14 2 Nonmetal C⁴⁺, C⁴⁻ +4, -4 +4, +2, -4 Variable charge
7 Nitrogen N 15 2 Nonmetal N³⁻ -3 +5, +3, -3 Anion-forming
8 Oxygen O 16 2 Nonmetal O²⁻ -2 -2 Anion-forming
9 Fluorine F 17 2 Halogen F⁻ -1 -1 Anion-forming
10 Neon Ne 18 2 Noble gas — None — No common ion
11 Sodium Na 1 3 Alkali metal Na⁺ +1 +1 Cation-forming
12 Magnesium Mg 2 3 Alkaline earth metal Mg²⁺ +2 +2 Cation-forming
13 Aluminium Al 13 3 Post-transition metal Al³⁺ +3 +3 Cation-forming
14 Silicon Si 14 3 Metalloid Si⁴⁺, Si⁴⁻ +4, -4 +4, -4 Variable charge
15 Phosphorus P 15 3 Nonmetal P³⁻ -3 +5, +3, -3 Anion-forming
16 Sulfur S 16 3 Nonmetal S²⁻ -2 +6, +4, -2 Anion-forming
17 Chlorine Cl 17 3 Halogen Cl⁻ -1 -1 Anion-forming
18 Argon Ar 18 3 Noble gas — None — No common ion
19 Potassium K 1 4 Alkali metal K⁺ +1 +1 Cation-forming
20 Calcium Ca 2 4 Alkaline earth metal Ca²⁺ +2 +2 Cation-forming
21 Scandium Sc 3 4 Transition metal Sc³⁺ +3 +3 Cation-forming
22 Titanium Ti 4 4 Transition metal Ti⁴⁺, Ti³⁺ +4, +3 +4, +3 Variable charge
23 Vanadium V 5 4 Transition metal V²⁺, V³⁺, V⁴⁺, V⁵⁺ +2, +3, +4, +5 +5, +4, +3, +2 Variable charge
24 Chromium Cr 6 4 Transition metal Cr²⁺, Cr³⁺, Cr⁶⁺ +2, +3, +6 +6, +3, +2 Variable charge
25 Manganese Mn 7 4 Transition metal Mn²⁺, Mn⁴⁺, Mn⁷⁺ +2, +4, +7 +7, +4, +2 Variable charge
26 Iron Fe 8 4 Transition metal Fe²⁺, Fe³⁺ +2, +3 +3, +2 Variable charge
27 Cobalt Co 9 4 Transition metal Co²⁺, Co³⁺ +2, +3 +3, +2 Variable charge
28 Nickel Ni 10 4 Transition metal Ni²⁺ +2 +2 Variable charge
29 Copper Cu 11 4 Transition metal Cu⁺, Cu²⁺ +1, +2 +2, +1 Variable charge
30 Zinc Zn 12 4 Transition metal Zn²⁺ +2 +2 Cation-forming
31 Gallium Ga 13 4 Post-transition metal Ga³⁺ +3 +3 Cation-forming
32 Germanium Ge 14 4 Metalloid Ge⁴⁺, Ge²⁺ +4, +2 +4, +2 Variable charge
33 Arsenic As 15 4 Metalloid As³⁺, As⁵⁺, As³⁻ +3, +5, -3 +5, +3, -3 Variable charge
34 Selenium Se 16 4 Nonmetal Se²⁻ -2 +6, +4, -2 Anion-forming
35 Bromine Br 17 4 Halogen Br⁻ -1 -1 Anion-forming
36 Krypton Kr 18 4 Noble gas — None — No common ion
37 Rubidium Rb 1 5 Alkali metal Rb⁺ +1 +1 Cation-forming
38 Strontium Sr 2 5 Alkaline earth metal Sr²⁺ +2 +2 Cation-forming
39 Yttrium Y 3 5 Transition metal Y³⁺ +3 +3 Cation-forming
40 Zirconium Zr 4 5 Transition metal Zr⁴⁺ +4 +4 Cation-forming
41 Niobium Nb 5 5 Transition metal Nb⁵⁺, Nb³⁺ +5, +3 +5, +3 Variable charge
42 Molybdenum Mo 6 5 Transition metal Mo⁴⁺, Mo⁶⁺ +4, +6 +6, +4 Variable charge
43 Technetium Tc 7 5 Transition metal Tc⁷⁺, Tc⁴⁺ +7, +4 +7, +4 Variable charge
44 Ruthenium Ru 8 5 Transition metal Ru³⁺, Ru⁴⁺ +3, +4 +4, +3 Variable charge
45 Rhodium Rh 9 5 Transition metal Rh³⁺ +3 +3 Variable charge
46 Palladium Pd 10 5 Transition metal Pd²⁺, Pd⁴⁺ +2, +4 +2, +4 Variable charge
47 Silver Ag 11 5 Transition metal Ag⁺ +1 +1 Cation-forming
48 Cadmium Cd 12 5 Transition metal Cd²⁺ +2 +2 Cation-forming
49 Indium In 13 5 Post-transition metal In³⁺ +3 +3 Cation-forming
50 Tin Sn 14 5 Post-transition metal Sn²⁺, Sn⁴⁺ +2, +4 +4, +2 Variable charge
51 Antimony Sb 15 5 Metalloid Sb³⁺, Sb⁵⁺ +3, +5 +5, +3 Variable charge
52 Tellurium Te 16 5 Metalloid Te²⁻, Te⁴⁺, Te⁶⁺ -2, +4, +6 +6, +4, -2 Variable charge
53 Iodine I 17 5 Halogen I⁻ -1 -1 Anion-forming
54 Xenon Xe 18 5 Noble gas — None — No common ion
55 Caesium Cs 1 6 Alkali metal Cs⁺ +1 +1 Cation-forming
56 Barium Ba 2 6 Alkaline earth metal Ba²⁺ +2 +2 Cation-forming
57 Lanthanum La 3 6 Lanthanide La³⁺ +3 +3 Cation-forming
58 Cerium Ce — 6 Lanthanide Ce³⁺, Ce⁴⁺ +3, +4 +3, +4 Variable charge
59 Praseodymium Pr — 6 Lanthanide Pr³⁺ +3 +3 Cation-forming
60 Neodymium Nd — 6 Lanthanide Nd³⁺ +3 +3 Cation-forming
61 Promethium Pm — 6 Lanthanide Pm³⁺ +3 +3 Cation-forming
62 Samarium Sm — 6 Lanthanide Sm²⁺, Sm³⁺ +2, +3 +3, +2 Variable charge
63 Europium Eu — 6 Lanthanide Eu²⁺, Eu³⁺ +2, +3 +3, +2 Variable charge
64 Gadolinium Gd — 6 Lanthanide Gd³⁺ +3 +3 Cation-forming
65 Terbium Tb — 6 Lanthanide Tb³⁺ +3 +3 Cation-forming
66 Dysprosium Dy — 6 Lanthanide Dy³⁺ +3 +3 Cation-forming
67 Holmium Ho — 6 Lanthanide Ho³⁺ +3 +3 Cation-forming
68 Erbium Er — 6 Lanthanide Er³⁺ +3 +3 Cation-forming
69 Thulium Tm — 6 Lanthanide Tm³⁺ +3 +3 Cation-forming
70 Ytterbium Yb — 6 Lanthanide Yb²⁺, Yb³⁺ +2, +3 +3, +2 Variable charge
71 Lutetium Lu — 6 Lanthanide Lu³⁺ +3 +3 Cation-forming
72 Hafnium Hf 4 6 Transition metal Hf⁴⁺ +4 +4 Cation-forming
73 Tantalum Ta 5 6 Transition metal Ta⁵⁺ +5 +5 Cation-forming
74 Tungsten W 6 6 Transition metal W⁴⁺, W⁶⁺ +4, +6 +6, +4 Variable charge
75 Rhenium Re 7 6 Transition metal Re⁴⁺, Re⁷⁺ +4, +7 +7, +4 Variable charge
76 Osmium Os 8 6 Transition metal Os³⁺, Os⁴⁺ +3, +4 +4, +3 Variable charge
77 Iridium Ir 9 6 Transition metal Ir³⁺, Ir⁴⁺ +3, +4 +4, +3 Variable charge
78 Platinum Pt 10 6 Transition metal Pt²⁺, Pt⁴⁺ +2, +4 +4, +2 Variable charge
79 Gold Au 11 6 Transition metal Au⁺, Au³⁺ +1, +3 +3, +1 Variable charge
80 Mercury Hg 12 6 Transition metal Hg⁺, Hg²⁺ +1, +2 +2, +1 Variable charge
81 Thallium Tl 13 6 Post-transition metal Tl⁺, Tl³⁺ +1, +3 +1, +3 Variable charge
82 Lead Pb 14 6 Post-transition metal Pb²⁺, Pb⁴⁺ +2, +4 +2, +4 Variable charge
83 Bismuth Bi 15 6 Post-transition metal Bi³⁺, Bi⁵⁺ +3, +5 +3, +5 Variable charge
84 Polonium Po 16 6 Post-transition metal Po²⁺, Po⁴⁺ +2, +4 +4, +2, -2 Variable charge
85 Astatine At 17 6 Halogen At⁻ -1 -1 Anion-forming
86 Radon Rn 18 6 Noble gas — None — No common ion
87 Francium Fr 1 7 Alkali metal Fr⁺ +1 +1 Cation-forming
88 Radium Ra 2 7 Alkaline earth metal Ra²⁺ +2 +2 Cation-forming
89 Actinium Ac 3 7 Actinide Ac³⁺ +3 +3 Cation-forming
90 Thorium Th — 7 Actinide Th⁴⁺ +4 +4 Cation-forming
91 Protactinium Pa — 7 Actinide Pa⁵⁺, Pa⁴⁺ +5, +4 +5, +4 Variable charge
92 Uranium U — 7 Actinide U⁴⁺, U⁶⁺ +4, +6 +6, +4 Variable charge
93 Neptunium Np — 7 Actinide Np⁴⁺, Np⁵⁺, Np⁶⁺ +4, +5, +6 +5, +4, +6 Variable charge
94 Plutonium Pu — 7 Actinide Pu⁴⁺, Pu⁶⁺ +4, +6 +4, +6 Variable charge
95 Americium Am — 7 Actinide Am³⁺ +3 +3 Cation-forming
96 Curium Cm — 7 Actinide Cm³⁺ +3 +3 Cation-forming
97 Berkelium Bk — 7 Actinide Bk³⁺ +3 +3 Cation-forming
98 Californium Cf — 7 Actinide Cf³⁺ +3 +3 Cation-forming
99 Einsteinium Es — 7 Actinide Es³⁺ +3 +3 Cation-forming
100 Fermium Fm — 7 Actinide Fm³⁺ +3 +3 Cation-forming
101 Mendelevium Md — 7 Actinide Md³⁺, Md²⁺ +3, +2 +3, +2 Variable charge
102 Nobelium No — 7 Actinide No²⁺, No³⁺ +2, +3 +2, +3 Variable charge
103 Lawrencium Lr — 7 Actinide Lr³⁺ +3 +3 Cation-forming
104 Rutherfordium Rf 4 7 Transition metal Rf⁴⁺ +4 +4 Cation-forming
105 Dubnium Db 5 7 Transition metal Db⁵⁺ +5 +5 Cation-forming
106 Seaborgium Sg 6 7 Transition metal Sg⁶⁺ +6 +6 Cation-forming
107 Bohrium Bh 7 7 Transition metal Bh⁷⁺ +7 +7 Cation-forming
108 Hassium Hs 8 7 Transition metal Hs⁸⁺ +8 +8 Cation-forming
109 Meitnerium Mt 9 7 Unknown chemistry — None — No common ion
110 Darmstadtium Ds 10 7 Unknown chemistry — None — No common ion
111 Roentgenium Rg 11 7 Unknown chemistry — None — No common ion
112 Copernicium Cn 12 7 Unknown chemistry Cn²⁺ +2 +2 Cation-forming
113 Nihonium Nh 13 7 Unknown chemistry Nh⁺ +1 +1 Cation-forming
114 Flerovium Fl 14 7 Unknown chemistry Fl²⁺ +2 +2 Cation-forming
115 Moscovium Mc 15 7 Unknown chemistry Mc⁺, Mc³⁺ +1, +3 +1, +3 Variable charge
116 Livermorium Lv 16 7 Unknown chemistry Lv²⁺ +2 +2 Variable charge
117 Tennessine Ts 17 7 Unknown chemistry Ts⁻, Ts⁺ -1, +1 -1, +1 Variable charge
118 Oganesson Og 18 7 Noble gas — None — No common ion

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Frequently asked questions

What are the charges on the periodic table?
Charges show the ions an element commonly forms. Metals on the left form positive ions such as Na⁺ and Ca²⁺, while nonmetals on the right form negative ions such as Cl⁻ and O²⁻. Many elements have one common charge, but transition metals often have several.
How do you know an element’s charge?
Start with the group. Group 1 loses one electron for +1, Group 2 loses two for +2, and Group 17 gains one for -1. Metals tend to lose electrons and nonmetals tend to gain them. For transition metals the charge depends on the compound, so check the name or formula.
What charge does Group 1 have?
Group 1 elements, the alkali metals, commonly form +1 ions because they lose their single valence electron. Examples include Li⁺, Na⁺ and K⁺.
What charge does Group 2 have?
Group 2 elements, the alkaline earth metals, commonly form +2 ions because they lose two valence electrons. Examples include Mg²⁺ and Ca²⁺.
What charge does Group 17 have?
Group 17 elements, the halogens, commonly form -1 ions because they gain one electron to complete their outer shell. Examples include F⁻, Cl⁻ and Br⁻.
Why do transition metals have multiple charges?
Transition metals have partially filled d orbitals, so they can lose different numbers of electrons in different compounds. That gives variable charges, such as Fe²⁺ and Fe³⁺, which is why their compound names use Roman numerals.
Are ionic charge and oxidation state the same?
They are related but not identical. For a single-atom ion the ionic charge equals the oxidation state. Oxidation state is a broader electron-counting value that can also be assigned to atoms inside neutral compounds, where it may not match a real physical charge.
Do noble gases have a charge?
Noble gases usually do not form common monatomic ions because their outer electron shells are already full. A few, such as xenon, form compounds with fluorine under special conditions, but they have no everyday ionic charge.
Which elements form positive ions?
Metals generally form positive ions. This includes the alkali metals, alkaline earth metals, transition metals and post-transition metals such as aluminium and tin.
Which elements form negative ions?
Nonmetals often form negative ions. Halogens form -1 ions, oxygen and sulfur form -2 ions, and nitrogen and phosphorus can form -3 ions.
What is the charge of iron?
Iron is a transition metal with a variable charge. It commonly forms Fe²⁺ and Fe³⁺ ions, named iron(II) and iron(III) in compounds such as iron(II) chloride and iron(III) chloride.
Can I download a printable periodic table with charges?
Yes. Use the download section above to open a print-ready layout you can save as a PDF on A4 or US Letter, download the full chart as a CSV spreadsheet, or copy the charge table to your clipboard.

Trust and references

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Chemistry reviewed by [Reviewer name], [qualification]. Element names, symbols and terminology were checked against recognised chemistry references.

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Sources

IUPAC periodic table IUPAC Gold Book Royal Society of Chemistry PubChem American Chemical Society

This tool is intended for educational reference. Charges and oxidation states can vary depending on chemical context.

Related chemistry topics

Ions and ionic charge Difference between cations and anions Periodic table oxidation states Valence electrons and ionic charge Variable charges of transition metals Periodic table groups