Tamara says that the calcium (Ca) ion has a + 1 charge. Using the periodic table, is she

correct? Explain why or why not.

Answer: NO

Explanation:

Calcium is a chemical element with the symbol Ca and atomic number 20.

The electronic configuration are 2, 8, 8, 2

It has two electrons in it outer most shell. This means that it belongs to group 2 in the periodic table.

Calcium ion therefore has + 2 charges

No

Explanation:

Using periodic table, calcium belongs to group (II) of the periodic table where they're known to have two valence electrons in their outer orbital.

When group (II) elements are in reaction to form a compound, they donate their two valence electrons to form x²⁺ where x represents the group (ii) elements.

So its impossible for group elements to ionize with a single charge x⁺ because it'll cause instability on the outer orbital. Note that every element attain stability by have fully filled or empty orbital. Due to the high ionization energies of metals especially (group I and group ii), they attain stability by losing 1 and 2 electrons respectively in their outer orbital.