Zinc commonly forms Zn2+ in introductory ionic compounds.
| Element | Zinc |
|---|---|
| Symbol | Zn |
| Atomic number | 30 |
| Common ionic charge | +2 |
| Common ions | Zn2+ |
Images are used as visual references; charge rules still depend on the compound.
Zinc is [Ar]3d10 4s2. The 4s pair leaves to give Zn2+, but the filled 3d10 shell beneath is untouchable — prying it open costs too much for any reaction to fund. A full d shell also means no d-d electron jumps, which is why zinc compounds are white and its solutions colorless.
This is a classroom reference range, not an exhaustive list of all oxidation states.
Calling zinc a 'typical transition metal' on exams. By the strict definition (must have a partly filled d shell in some common ion), zinc fails — Zn2+ is d10, full. That is exactly why it has one fixed charge while iron and copper juggle several.
Zinc gives up its two electrons more readily than iron does. Any corrosion current oxidizes Zn to Zn2+ first, sparing the steel — the zinc layer is a 'sacrificial anode' you can see as dull white zinc salts.
Zinc chloride
Zn2+ balances chloride ions.
Zinc oxide
Zinc can form oxides where total positive and negative charge balances.
2+, delivered as salts like zinc gluconate or zinc acetate. Hundreds of your enzymes — including the one that lets you taste — hold a structural Zn2+ at their core.
Both are wide-band-gap oxides that scatter visible light completely and absorb UV. Zinc's fixed 2+ and titanium's fixed 4+ in these oxides make both chemically inert on skin.
The anode is zinc powder at charge 0; discharging oxidizes it to Zn2+ (as zincate), releasing the two electrons per atom that power the circuit. When the zinc runs out, the battery is dead.
Combine positive and negative ions so the total charge is zero — or let the ionic compound calculator do the crossing for you. The full chart lives on the periodic table with charges.
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