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).
As you may notice, they can form ions by either losing or gaining electron in 4s orbital. In the chemistry of the transition elements, the 4s orbital behaves as the outermost, highest energy orbital. When these metals form ions, the 4s electrons are always lost first, leading to a positive charge on ion. Gaining any electron in 4s orbital would decrease the stability of anion thus formed. So, they form only cations (positive ions) .