Final answer:
The charge on the cation in the ionic compound X2Y3 must be +3 to balance the -2 charge of the three Y anions, resulting in a neutrally charged compound.option(3).
Step-by-step explanation:
In an ionic compound like X2Y3, the subscripts indicate the ratio of ions in the compound. To maintain electrical neutrality, the total charge of the cations must balance the total charge of the anions. For compound X2Y3, we have two cations (X) and three anions (Y). If we assume that the anions each have a charge of -1 (which is common for many anions), then the total negative charge is -3 (because there are three of them, 3 x -1 = -3). In order to balance this charge, the two cations must have a total positive charge of +3. This can only happen if each cation has a charge of +1.5, which is not possible since charges of ions are typically whole numbers. Therefore, we need to look for a common multiple of the charges that will allow us to use whole numbers. The smallest common multiple of 2 and 3 is 6. So, if we give the anions a charge of -2 each, then 3 anions would have a total charge of -6. And if the cations have a charge of +3 each, then 2 cations would also have a total charge of +6. This way, the total positive charge cancels the total negative charge, and the compound is neutral.
Using this reasoning, the charge on each cation (X) must be +3 to balance out the charges from the three Y anions.