Question

Suppose that in an ionic compound, "m" represents a metal that could form more than one type of ion. in the formula mf2 , the charge of the m ion would be:

Answer 1

F (Fluorine) is in column (group/family) VIIA, or the "halogens". When you see the halogens (Fluorine, Chlorine, Bromine, and Iodine) in combination with a metal, each halogen atom present will carry a -1 charge. We can see that the atom has no charge, so the metal must cancel out the negative charges brought by the two fluorine atoms.
(Charge on m) + 2*(charge on fluorine) = 0
(Charge on m) + 2*(-1) = 0
(Charge on m) - 2 = 0
Charge on m ion = +2