Periodic Table with Charges

The ionic charge and every oxidation state for all 118 elements, and the group rule that predicts them.

An element's charge is what it becomes when it gains or loses electrons to form a compound. Atoms are neutral to start with — equal protons and electrons — so losing an electron leaves a surplus of positive protons, and gaining one leaves a surplus of negative electrons.

For most of the table you can predict the answer from the column alone, without memorising anything.

Typical ionic charge by main group
Group	Typical charge	Why
1	+1	One outer electron — easier to lose it than gain seven
2	+2	Two outer electrons, both readily lost
13	+3	Three outer electrons lost to empty the shell
14	±4	Half-full shell — can go either way, and often shares instead
15	−3	Three electrons short of full
16	−2	Two electrons short of full
17	−1	One electron short — the most aggressive electron grabbers
18	0	Shell already full, so no reason to trade at all

The charge of every element

“Common charge” is the ion the element forms in everyday chemistry. “All oxidation states” lists everything it is known to show across its compounds — which for a transition metal can be a long list, and for a noble gas is usually nothing at all.

Common ionic charge and full oxidation states for every element
#	Element	Common charge	All oxidation states	Group
1	HHydrogen	+1, −1	−1, +1	1
2	HeHelium	none	0	18
3	LiLithium	+1	+1	1
4	BeBeryllium	+2	+2	2
5	BBoron	+3	+3	13
6	CCarbon	+4, −4	−4, +2, +4	14
7	NNitrogen	−3	−3, −2, −1, +1, +2, +3, +4, +5	15
8	OOxygen	−2	−2	16
9	FFluorine	−1	−1	17
10	NeNeon	none	0	18
11	NaSodium	+1	+1	1
12	MgMagnesium	+2	+2	2
13	AlAluminum	+3	+3	13
14	SiSilicon	+4, −4	−4, +2, +4	14
15	PPhosphorus	−3	−3, +3, +5	15
16	SSulfur	−2	−2, +2, +4, +6	16
17	ClChlorine	−1	−1, +1, +3, +5, +7	17
18	ArArgon	none	0	18
19	KPotassium	+1	+1	1
20	CaCalcium	+2	+2	2
21	ScScandium	+3	+3	3
22	TiTitanium	+4, +3	+2, +3, +4	4
23	VVanadium	+5, +4, +3, +2	+2, +3, +4, +5	5
24	CrChromium	+3, +6, +2	+2, +3, +6	6
25	MnManganese	+2	+2, +3, +4, +7	7
26	FeIron	+2, +3	+2, +3	8
27	CoCobalt	+2, +3	+2, +3	9
28	NiNickel	+2	+2, +3	10
29	CuCopper	+2, +1	+1, +2	11
30	ZnZinc	+2	+2	12
31	GaGallium	+3	+3	13
32	GeGermanium	+4, +2	−4, +2, +4	14
33	AsArsenic	−3	−3, +3, +5	15
34	SeSelenium	−2	−2, +4, +6	16
35	BrBromine	−1	−1, +1, +3, +5	17
36	KrKrypton	none	0	18
37	RbRubidium	+1	+1	1
38	SrStrontium	+2	+2	2
39	YYttrium	+3	+3	3
40	ZrZirconium	+4	+4	4
41	NbNiobium	+5	+3, +5	5
42	MoMolybdenum	+6, +4	+4, +6	6
43	TcTechnetium	+7, +4	+4, +6, +7	7
44	RuRuthenium	+3, +4	+3, +4	8
45	RhRhodium	+3	+3	9
46	PdPalladium	+2, +4	+2, +3, +4	10
47	AgSilver	+1	+1	11
48	CdCadmium	+2	+2	12
49	InIndium	+3	+3	13
50	SnTin	+2, +4	−4, +2, +4	14
51	SbAntimony	−3	−3, +3, +5	15
52	TeTellurium	−2	−2, +4, +6	16
53	IIodine	−1	−1, +1, +5, +7	17
54	XeXenon	none	0, +2, +4, +6	18
55	CsCesium	+1	+1	1
56	BaBarium	+2	+2	2
57	LaLanthanum	+3	+3	f
58	CeCerium	+3, +4	+3, +4	f
59	PrPraseodymium	+3	+3	f
60	NdNeodymium	+3	+3	f
61	PmPromethium	+3	+3	f
62	SmSamarium	+3	+2, +3	f
63	EuEuropium	+3, +2	+2, +3	f
64	GdGadolinium	+3	+3	f
65	TbTerbium	+3	+3	f
66	DyDysprosium	+3	+3	f
67	HoHolmium	+3	+3	f
68	ErErbium	+3	+3	f
69	TmThulium	+3	+3	f
70	YbYtterbium	+3, +2	+2, +3	f
71	LuLutetium	+3	+3	f
72	HfHafnium	+4	+4	4
73	TaTantalum	+5	+5	5
74	WTungsten	+6, +4	+4, +6	6
75	ReRhenium	+7, +4	+4, +6, +7	7
76	OsOsmium	+4	+3, +4	8
77	IrIridium	+3, +4	+3, +4	9
78	PtPlatinum	+2, +4	+2, +4	10
79	AuGold	+3, +1	+1, +3	11
80	HgMercury	+2, +1	+1, +2	12
81	TlThallium	+1, +3	+1, +3	13
82	PbLead	+2, +4	+2, +4	14
83	BiBismuth	+3	+3, +5	15
84	PoPolonium	+4, +2	−2, +2, +4	16
85	AtAstatine	−1, +1	−1, +1, +3, +5, +7	17
86	RnRadon	none	0	18
87	FrFrancium	+1	+1	1
88	RaRadium	+2	+2	2
89	AcActinium	+3	+3	f
90	ThThorium	+4	+4	f
91	PaProtactinium	+5	+4, +5	f
92	UUranium	+6, +4	+3, +4, +5, +6	f
93	NpNeptunium	+5	+3, +4, +5, +6	f
94	PuPlutonium	+4	+3, +4, +5, +6	f
95	AmAmericium	+3	+3, +4, +5, +6	f
96	CmCurium	+3	+3	f
97	BkBerkelium	+3	+3, +4	f
98	CfCalifornium	+3	+3	f
99	EsEinsteinium	+3	+3	f
100	FmFermium	+3	+3	f
101	MdMendelevium	+3	+2, +3	f
102	NoNobelium	+2, +3	+2, +3	f
103	LrLawrencium	+3	+3	f
104	RfRutherfordium	+4	+4	4
105	DbDubnium	+5	+3, +4, +5	5
106	SgSeaborgium	+6	0, +3, +4, +5, +6	6
107	BhBohrium	+7	+3, +4, +5, +7	7
108	HsHassium	+8	+2, +3, +4, +5, +6, +8	8
109	MtMeitnerium	none	+1, +3, +4, +6, +8, +9	9
110	DsDarmstadtium	none	0, +2, +4, +6, +8	10
111	RgRoentgenium	none	−1, +1, +3, +5	11
112	CnCopernicium	none	0, +1, +2	12
113	NhNihonium	none	—	13
114	FlFlerovium	none	0, +1, +2, +4, +6	14
115	McMoscovium	none	+1, +3	15
116	LvLivermorium	none	−2, +2, +4	16
117	TsTennessine	−1, +1	−1, +1, +3, +5	17
118	OgOganesson	none	−1, 0, +1, +2, +4, +6	18

Where the rule breaks down

The group rule is reliable across the s- and p-blocks, and unreliable everywhere else. The d-block is the obvious exception — 28 of the 38 transition metals show more than one oxidation state, so you have to be told which one a given compound uses. That is what the Roman numeral in a name like iron(III) chloride is for.

The heavy p-block metals have their own quirk, the inert pair effect: thallium, lead and bismuth prefer a charge two lower than their group suggests, because their outermost s pair becomes reluctant to bond. Lead is far happier as Pb²⁺ than Pb⁴⁺, even though it sits in group 14.

More on the periodic table

Interactive periodic tableAll 118 elements Electron configurationsFull and shorthand notation Atomic mass tableIUPAC standard atomic weights ElectronegativityPauling values, every element Valence electronsOuter-shell counts by group Groups & periodsAll 18 groups explained Printable periodic tablesFree PDFs to print Element quizTest yourself on symbols

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Frequently Asked Questions

How do you find the charge of an element on the periodic table?

For main-group elements, read it off the group number. Group 1 forms +1, group 2 forms +2, group 13 forms +3. On the other side, group 17 forms −1, group 16 forms −2 and group 15 forms −3. Group 18, the noble gases, forms no ion at all. The rule works because atoms gain or lose whichever is fewer — electrons to empty the outer shell, or electrons to fill it.

Why do transition metals have more than one charge?

Because their outer s electrons and their inner d electrons sit at very similar energies, so a transition metal can give up two, three or more electrons depending on what it is reacting with. Iron forms both Fe²⁺ and Fe³⁺, copper both Cu⁺ and Cu²⁺. That is also why their compounds are so colourful: different oxidation states absorb different wavelengths.

What is the difference between a charge and an oxidation state?

An ionic charge is a real, physical property of an ion that actually exists — Na⁺ genuinely has one fewer electron than proton. An oxidation state is a bookkeeping device: it is the charge an atom would have if every bond in the compound were fully ionic. For simple ions the two numbers agree; in covalent compounds the oxidation state is a useful fiction rather than a measurement.

Which elements have a charge of zero?

Any element in its pure elemental form has an oxidation state of zero — iron metal, oxygen gas, solid sulfur. The noble gases in group 18 keep an oxidation state of zero in almost all circumstances, because their outer shells are already full, though xenon and krypton can be forced into compounds under the right conditions.