Question

what is the charge on the cation sncl4

Answer 1

SnCl4 reacts with water to form colloidal SnO2. And the number of particles depends on the reaction conditions. 

SnCl4 + H2O ... does NOT yield... 1 Sn(+4) + 4 Cl(-) 

Sn is MOLECULAR compound. it's not an ionic compound 
SnCl4 doesn't dissociate in water, it reacts with water. 

1 SnCl4 + 2 H2O ---> 1 SnO2 + 4 HCl 
and.. 
HCl dissociates in water.. 
so.. 
1 SnCl4 + 2 H2O --> 8 soluble particles. 
so.. 
a better argument is i = 8 

Answer 2

Answer: 4+.

Explanation:

1) Cation is the name for the positive ion, while anion is the name of the negative ion.

2) SnCl₄, is a ionic compound, which means that it is formed by ions: a positive ion (cation) and a negative ion (anion).

3) The anion is formed by the most electronegative atom (Cl in this case) and the cation is from the least electronegative atom (Sn in this case).

4) The charge is the oxidation state of the element. So, we must to is to calculate the oxidation states.

Cl combines with metals using its oxidation state 1-, so that is the oxidation state in this case.

Now you have to balance the charges. There are 4 anion Cl ⁻, which is 4 negative chartes, therefore the cation has a positive 4 charge (4+) to make a neutral compound: (4+) + 4(1-) = 4 - 4 = 0.

In conclusion, the cation is Sn⁴⁺, this is its charge is 4+