Finding Charge

[claire ikemiya_2I]

How do you determine charge for the d-block elements?

[Victoria Dao 3G]

Hi! So when we're finding the charge for transition metals, we'll most likely only be asked in the context of a compound, instead of just the element itself. For example, with CuO, we know that the ionic charge (oxidation number) of oxygen is -2, so in order to balance the overall charge of the compound (because the net charge is neutral), we'd need copper to have a +2 charge. For this reason, the name of this compound will be Copper (II) Oxide. Hope this helps!

[Brian Acevedo 2E]

If I recall correctly, almost all of the transition metals would have a possible +2 charge because of the electron configuration and the s orbital of the energy level above that of the d orbitals (example: 4s for iron) filling in prior to the d-orbitals, thus allowing for those metals two form +2 cations by losing their 2 valence electrons.

[Joshua Eidam 2A]

Yes, as previously stated when you are being asked for the charge of a transition metal, it should almost be within the context of the TM in a compound, otherwise it is hard to determine since their charges can vary. Use any element in the compound that you know the given charge of, as well as the overall charge of the compound to determine what the charge of the TM must be.

[Aydin Karatas 1F]

Because transition metals can have multiple oxidation states, the charge of a d-block atom will depend on the molecule it's in. For example, in [AgCl₂]^- we know that the charges of all the atoms of Ag and Cl must add up to 1-. Since the charge of a chloride ion is 1-, gold must have an oxidation state of (I), or a 1+ charge, for AgCl₂ to still have a 1- charge.

Hope this helps!