The periodic table is arranged by various patterns. Describe the pattern regarding charges of ions formed across a row? In three to five sentences, explain your reasoning and provide specific examples.

Answer 1

In the periodic table, as you move across a row (or period) from left to right, the charge of the ions formed by the elements typically becomes more positive for metals and more negative for nonmetals. Metals, found on the left side of a period, tend to lose electrons and form cations with positive charges; for instance, sodium (Na), which has one valence electron, forms a +1 ion (Na⁺). On the other hand, nonmetals on the right side gain electrons to fill their valence shell and typically form anions with negative charges; for example, chlorine (Cl), with seven valence electrons, gains one electron to form a -1 ion (Cl⁻). The transition from metals to nonmetals illustrates this shift in ion charges across a period.