Final answer:
Sodium (Na) forms a +1 cation and chlorine (Cl) forms a -1 anion, resulting in the compound NaCl with Na assuming a +1 charge and Cl assuming a -1 charge.
Step-by-step explanation:
Using the periodic table, we can predict that sodium (Na) and chlorine (Cl) will form ions with particular charges. Sodium is an alkali metal in the first column of the periodic table and typically forms a cation with a +1 charge. Chlorine is a halogen found in the next-to-last column of the periodic table and tends to form an anion with a -1 charge. When sodium, which has one electron in its outer shell, reacts with chlorine, which has seven electrons in its outer shell, sodium will lose one electron to achieve the noble gas configuration and become a sodium cation with a +1 charge. Meanwhile, chlorine will gain one electron to fill its outer shell and become a chloride ion with a -1 charge. Together, they form the iconic compound sodium chloride (NaCl), where Na is +1 and Cl is -1.