What is the maximum charge an ion is likely to have?
a.) 2
b.) 3
c.) 4
d.) 5
1 Answer
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If you literally mean 'charge' as opposed to 'oxidation number' than it would be (b), 3 for common chemical reactions.
Charges result when ions form because valence electrons have been lost or gained. Elements with 4 valence electrons tend to be covalently bonded and not ionic, so they are unlikely to form a +4 or -4 ionic charge.
Elements with 5 or more valence electrons tend to gain electrons to make an octet and the maximum that may be gained would be 3 (taken on by those elements having 5 already).
That being said, if you add enough Ionization Energy to an atom you can strip away nearly all of its electrons (inner shell ones too). That would create an ion with as much positive charge as there are electrons stripped away. This typically does not happen in normal reactions.