Charles Dickens, in full Charles John Huffam Dickens, (born February 7, 1812, Portsmouth, Hampshire, Englandâdied June 9, 1870, Gadâs Hill, near Chatham, Kent), English novelist, generally considered the greatest of the Victorian era.
The alkali metals in group 1 are always +1 when they form cations. The alkaline earth metals in group 2 are always +2 when they form cations. Aluminum and the elements in group 3 are always +3 when they form cations. Zinc and cadmium always form +2 cations. Monatomic Cation Names. The names of monatomic cations always start with the name of the metal, sometimes followed by a Roman numeral to indicate the charge of the ion. For example, Cu + is copper(I), and Cu 2+ is copper(II).
A few elements, all metals, can form more than one possible charge. For example, iron atoms can form 2+ cations or 3+ cations. Cobalt is another element that can form more than one possible charged ion (2+ and 3+), while lead can form 2+ or 4+ cations. Unfortunately, there is little understanding which two charges a metal atom may take, so it is best to just memorize the possible charges a particular element can have.