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Group of elements with similar chemical properties
- In chemistry, a family is a group of elements with similar chemical properties. Chemical families tend to be associated with the vertical columns on the periodic table. The term "family" is synonymous with the term "group".
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Updated on February 14, 2020. In chemistry, a family is a group of elements with similar chemical properties. Chemical families tend to be associated with the vertical columns on the periodic table. The term "family" is synonymous with the term "group".
The vertical columns on the periodic table are called groups or families because of their similar chemical behavior. All the members of a family of elements have the same number of valence electrons and similar chemical properties. The horizontal rows on the periodic table are called periods.
In chemistry, a group (also known as a family) [1] is a column of elements in the periodic table of the chemical elements. There are 18 numbered groups in the periodic table; the 14 f-block columns, between groups 2 and 3, are not numbered. The elements in a group have similar physical or chemical characteristics of the outermost electron ...
- Group 1: The Alkali Metals. The elements of group 1 are called the alkali metals. Alkali (from the Arabic al-qili, meaning “ashes of the saltwort plant from salt marshes”) was a general term for substances derived from wood ashes, all of which possessed a bitter taste and were able to neutralize acids.
- Group 2: The Alkaline Earth Metals. The elements of group 2 are collectively referred to as the alkaline earth metals, a name that originated in the Middle Ages, when an “earth” was defined as a substance that did not melt and was not transformed by fire.
- Group 13. Of the group 13 elements, only the lightest, boron, lies on the diagonal line that separates nonmetals and metals. Thus boron is a semimetal, whereas the rest of the group 13 elements are metals.
- Group 14. The group 14 elements straddle the diagonal line that divides nonmetals from metals. Of the elements in this group, carbon is a nonmetal, silicon and germanium are semimetals, and tin and lead are metals.
- Alkali Metals. The alkali metals are all elements of Group I except hydrogen. These elements have one valence electron. They are highly reactive and can burst into flames when exposed to air.
- Alkaline Earth Metals. The alkaline earth metals are located in Group 2 of the periodic table, from beryllium (Be) to radium (Ra). They have two electrons in their outermost shell and are the second most reactive after alkali metals.
- Transition Metals. The transition metals lie from Group 3 to Group 12. They have more than one oxidation state, meaning they can have many oxidation numbers.
- Post-Transition Metals. The post-transition metals are located in between transition metals and the metalloids. They span from Groups 13 to 16. They have some characteristics of transition metals but are soft and conduct more poorly than transition metals.
A “chemical family” can be defined as a group of elements that have certain similar properties and can form compounds with some similar properties. However, there can be significant differences among the many compounds that are part of a chemical “family.”
