Zinc group element | chemistry | Britannica
Zinc exhibits only the +2 oxidation state. It can give up two electrons to form an electrovalent compound;, zinc carbonate ZnCO 3. It may also share those electrons, as in zinc chloride, ZnCl 2, a compound in which the bonds are partly ionic and partly covalent. Dipositive mercury also forms covalent bonds in mercuric chloride, HgCl 2.