Chemistry Project: Periodic Table

alkali metals

group 1, 1 valence electron, charge of +1, highly reactive because they readily lose their valence electron, shiny, soft, malleable, usually salts, ductile, good conductors, low density, lowest melting points

alkaline earth metals

group 2, 2 valence electrons, charge of 2+, lustrous, silver-white color, somewhat reactive, low density, low melting point, good conductors

transition metals

groups 3-12, valence electrons varying, charge varying, “sea of electrons”, paramagnetic, found readily in nature, conductive of electricity and heat, ductile, malleable, high melting point, high density

inner transition metals

the bottom two rows separate from the rest of the periodic table, valence electrons varying, charge varying, heavy metals, high melting point, form colored ions, some can be radioactive, highly dense

post transition metals

groups 13-17, 3-7 valence electrons, varying charge, soft or brittle, lower melting point and boiling point than transition metals, high density

metalloids

groups 13-17, 3-7 valence electrons, varying charges, semiconductors of electricity and heat, generally solids, can be shiny or dull, may or may not be ductile, varying malleability, varying melting point, boiling point, and density

nonmetals

groups 14-18, 4-8 valence electrons, varying charge, usually gases, insulators, brittle, dull, gain valence electrons easily, low melting and boiling points, low density

boron family

group 13, 3 valence electrons, charge of 3+, violating octet rule, trivalent, soft, relatively reactive, low melting and boiling point, low density

carbon family

group 14, 4 valence electrons, charge of 4+ or 4-, can gain or lose electrons, low melting point and boiling point, found in many compounds, many forms of elemental molecules, low density

nitrogen family

group 15, 5 valence electrons, charge of 3-, solid at room temperature except for nitrogen. compounds can be transparent, diamagnetic or paramagnetic when heated, stable, and/or potentially toxic, low density, low melting and boiling point

oxygen family

group 16, 6 valence electrons, charge of 2-, chalcogens, easily found in nature, form compounds easily, low melting and boiling points, low density

halogens

group 17, 7 valence electrons, charge of 1-, react with alkali metals to make salts, forms acids when combined with hydrogen, fairly toxic, highly reactive, diatomic molecules when in their pure form (F2, Cl2, Br2, I2, etc], low densities increasing as you go down the group, low melting points

noble gases

group 18, 8 valence electrons, neutral charge, most stable elements on the periodic table, gases under standard condition, colorless, odorless, low melting point and boiling point, low density