Source: Transition Elements, University of Colorado

The last of the main types of ionic bonds involves transition metals. Because of the open spaces in the d orbitals, transition metals will have several possible charges or oxidation numbers. For example, iron has two different ions, Fe²⁺ or Fe³⁺. Roman numerals are used in the name to identify the different oxidation numbers.

Let’s look at a couple of examples.

Watch the following video to learn more about naming ionic compounds that contain transition metals.