Groups in the Periodic Table of Elements

Click on an element to read about the chemical and physical properties of

the group to which that element belongs.

Alkali Metals

 Less dense than other metals

 One loosely bound valence electron
 Highly reactive, with reactivity increasing moving down the group
 The largest atomic radius of elements in their period
 Low ionization energy
 Low electronegativity

Alkaline Earth Metals

 Two electrons in the valence shell

 Readily form divalent cations
 Low electron affinity
 Low electronegativity

Transition Metals

The lanthanides (rare earth) and actinides are also transition metals. The basic
metals are similar to transition metals but tend to be softer and to hint at
nonmetallic properties. In their pure state, all of these elements tend to have a
shiny, metallic appearance. While there are radioisotopes of other elements, all of
the actinides are radioactive.

 Very hard, usually shiny, ductile, and malleable

 High melting and boiling points

 High thermal and electrical conductivity
 Form cations (positive oxidation states)
 Tend to exhibit more than one oxidation state
 Low ionization energy

Metalloids or Semimetals

 Electronegativity and ionization energy intermediate between that of

metals and nonmetals
  May possess a metallic luster

 Variable density, hardness, conductivity, and other properties

 Often make good semiconductors
 Reactivity depends on the nature of other elements in the reaction

Nonmetals

The halogens and noble gases are nonmetals, although they have their own
groups, too.

 High ionization energy

 High electronegativity
 Poor electrical and thermal conductors
 Form brittle solids
 Little if any metallic luster
 Readily gain electrons

Halogens

The halogens exhibit different physical properties from each other but do share
chemical properties.

 Extremely high electronegativity

 Very reactive
 Seven valence electrons, so elements from this group typically exhibit a -1
oxidation state

Noble Gases

The noble gasses have complete valence electron shells, so they act differently.
Unlike other groups, noble gasses are unreactive and have very low
electronegativity or electron affinity.

Carbon Family Properties

Here are some facts about the carbon family:

 Carbon family elements contain atoms that have 4 electrons in their outer
energy level. Two of these electrons are in the s subshell, while 2 are in
the p subshell. Only carbon has the s2 outer configuration, which accounts
 for some of the differences between carbon and other elements in the
family.
 As you move down the periodic table in the carbon family, the atomic
radius and ionic radius increase while electronegativity and ionization
energy decrease. Atom size increases moving down the group because an
additional electron shell is added.
 Element density increases moving down the group.
 The carbon family consists of one nonmetal (carbon),
two metalloids (silicon and germanium), and two metals (tin and lead). In
other words, the elements gain metallicity moving down the group.
 These elements are found in a wide variety of compounds. Carbon is the
only element in the group that can be found pure in nature.
 The carbon family elements have widely variable physical and chemical
properties.
 Overall, the carbon family elements are stable and tend to be fairly
unreactive.
 The elements tend to form covalent compounds, though tin and lead also
form ionic compounds.
 Except for lead, all of the carbon family elements exist as different forms or
allotropes. Carbon, for example, occurs in diamond, graphite, fullerene,
and amorphous carbon allotropes. Tin occurs as white tin, gray tin, and
rhombic tin. Lead is only found as a dense blue-gray metal.
 Group 14 (carbon family) elements have much higher melting points and
boiling points than the group 13 elements. Melting and boiling points in
the carbon family tend to decrease moving down the group, mainly because
atomic forces within the larger molecules are not as strong. Lead, for
example, has such a low melting point that it's easily liquefied by a flame.
This makes it useful as a base for solder.

The Periodic Table: Metals,

Nonmetals, and Metalloids
Using the periodic table, you can classify the elements in many ways. One useful
way is by metals, nonmetals, and metalloids. The periodic table is organized
in families and periods.
Metals
In the periodic table, you can see a stair-stepped line starting at Boron (B),
atomic number 5, and going all the way down to Polonium (Po), atomic number
84. Except for Germanium (Ge) and Antimony (Sb), all the elements to the left of
that line can be classified as metals.

These metals have properties that you normally associate with the metals you
encounter in everyday life:

 They are solid (with the exception of mercury, Hg, a liquid).

 They are shiny, good conductors of electricity and heat.
 They are ductile (they can be drawn into thin wires).
 They are malleable (they can be easily hammered into very thin sheets).

All these metals tend to lose electrons easily. The following figure shows the
metals.
The metals in the periodic table.

Click here to view this table.

Nonmetals
Except for the elements that border the stair-stepped line, the elements to the
right of the line are classified as nonmetals (along with hydrogen). Nonmetals
have properties opposite those of the metals.

The nonmetals are brittle, not malleable or ductile, poor conductors of both heat
and electricity, and tend to gain electrons in chemical reactions. Some nonmetals
are liquids. These elements are shown in the following figure.
The nonmetals in the periodic table.

Metalloids
The elements that border the stair-stepped line are classified as metalloids. The
metalloids, or semimetals, have properties that are somewhat of a cross between
metals and nonmetals.

Metalloids tend to be economically important because of their unique conductivity

properties (they only partially conduct electricity), which make them valuable in
the semiconductor and computer chip industry. The metalloids are shown in the
following illustration.
The metalloids in the periodic table.