Groups of Elements

Reactive Metals: The s-block

Alkali Metals
Properties

- Shiny solids that are malleable, ductile, and good conductors of

electricity
- Have low densities and melting points
- Have intense chemical reactivity, tarnish rapidly
- Are most reactive because of their low ionization energy

Sources and Uses

- Since alkali metals are very reactive, they are never found as free, or
uncombined, elements in nature
- Usually found in compounds and distributed widely across the world
- Compounds are very soluble in water
- Sodium is used commercially in large amounts

Alkaline Earth Metals

Properties

- Have higher densities and melting points when compared to Alkali

metals
- Higher ionization energies and aren’t as reactive but heavier metals
can react with water

Sources and Uses

- They are not found in nature in an elemental state

- The metals are sometimes added together and make up alloys

Transition Metals: The d-block elements

- Transition metals play an important role in living organisms and are

extremely valuable as strong, structurally useful materials
Properties
- Have high densities and melting points
- Transition metals vary family to family
Inner Transition Metals: The f-block elements
- Divided between Lanthanides and Actinides
- Electron configuration doesn’t follow a pattern
The Lanthanides
- Soft, silvery metals
- Somewhat less reactive than the heavier alkaline earth metals
- Too reactive to be used as structural materials
- They tarnish readily in air and react slowly in water
- Widely distributed in nature
The Actinides
- All isotopes of these elements are radioactive
- Only thorium and uranium occur to any extent in nature

Nonmetals: The p-block elements

The Boron Group (Group 3A)
- All elements form 3+ ions by loss of these valence electrons
- The most important element in aluminum: it has low density but when
alloyed with other metals, it is quite strong
The Carbon Group (Group 4A)
- Carbon is a major component of fossil fuels
- It is a common air pollutant
- Other important elements are silicon, germanium, tin, and lead
The Nitrogen Group (Group 5A)
- Nitrogen: makes up approx 80 % of Earth’s atmosphere
- Nitrogen is colorless, odorless gas composed of N2 molecules
- Phosphorus is another abundant crystal element found combined with
oxygen and other elements in minerals
The Oxygen Group (Group 6A)
- Oxygen is the most abundant element on Earth
- Elemental oxygen is colorless, odorless, and tasteless
- Oxygen is required for respiration
- Sulfur is a gas with an unpleasant odor: Large productions of sulfur are
used in paints, plastics, insecticides, etc.
The Halogens (Group 7A)
- Consists of nonmentals: Flourine (F), Chlorine (Cl), Bromine (Br), Iodine
(I), and Astatine (At).
- Halogens react with most metals and with nonmetals
- They are highly reactive and don’t occur as free elements in nature
The Noble Gases (Group 8A)
- Noble gases lack reactivity and have a tendency to remain apart
- Most abundant noble gas is argon
- Helium is commercially the most important
Hydrogen: One of A Kind
- Hydrogen is a nonmetal that exists as a gas
- It’s colorless, odorless, and composed of H2 molecules
- It’s rare in the atmosphere because it is light enough to escape Earth’s
gravitational attraction
- It is the most abundant element on Earth