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What charge do oxygen group elements often have when they form negative ions?
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oxygen group element
Modern version of the periodic table of the elements (printable).
When oxygen group elements (Group 16) form negative ions, they typically carry a double negative charge, or .
This occurs because these elements have six electrons in their outermost shell and tend to gain two additional electrons to achieve a stable configuration of eight electrons. While this tendency is characteristic of the nonmetallic members of the group, it decreases as you move down the column; the heavier elements, such as tellurium and polonium, are more metallic in nature and are less likely to form negative ions, often favoring positive oxidation states instead.1