How Do You Know What Kind of Ion a Metalloid Forms?

[Chevy Chase Fan]

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How do you know if a metalloid will form a positive or negatively charged ion? Is it just any metalloid on the right of the line forms negatively charged ions?

Sorry, very basic question but I can't seem to find the answer, and none of the questions in the book asked about elements that are metalloids.

 

[Chevy Chase Fan]

help, im scared

 

[Chevy Chase Fan]

no one knows the answer to this question?

 

[jphwki82]

How do you know if a metalloid will form a positive or negatively charged ion? Is it just any metalloid on the right of the line forms negatively charged ions?

Sorry, very basic question but I can't seem to find the answer, and none of the questions in the book asked about elements that are metalloids.

It is going to depend on the oxidation states of the other atom(s) bonded to it. i.e. BF3, Boron will be positive 3 oxidation state b/c of the highly electronegative F atoms, each w/ a -1 oxidation state. So look at electro negativity of the atoms, and figure out their oxidation states.

 

[venacontracta]

You're not getting the simple answer you want because sadly, it doesn't exist.

Memorizing something like this could help you a little bit:
http://www.thecatalyst.org/oxnotabl.html

But that's just not worth it. The proper approach to this is knowing the usual oxidation numbers of other common elements so that you can do what jphwki82 suggests and figure out the oxidation number of the metalloid atom you're concerned with. Going to the BF3 example - you should know that F is -1 because it's common and clear-cut (F will always be -1) and that knowledge lets you figure out the oxidation number of B.

Even if you DID memorize that periodic table I linked to, you'd still have to use this method, since many elements are capable of having several different valences!

More specifically, I would know the rules given on this page
http://www.chemistry.wustl.edu/~courses/genchem/Labs/RedoxIdentity/oxidation.htm

 

[ksmi117]

SDN is not a place for homework help. Closing.