How do you know the charge of an element from the periodic table?

1 Answer

Atoms are neutral, so I'll assume you mean the charges formed when atoms lose or gain electrons to form ions.

Explanation:

Atoms gain or lose valence electrons to become more stable. Metals lose electrons to form positively charged ions and nonmetallic elements gain electrons to form negatively charged ions.

http://www.chemistryland.com/CHM130S/06-Nomenclature/LanguageOfChemistry/Language.htm

This video discusses how to figure out charges of ions based on their position on the periodic table.

Hope this helps!