Row, row, row…your element…gently through the periodic table?

The Periodic Table: General Groups (1-18) The elements have an increasing nonmetallic character as you read from left to right across the table. Along the stair-step line are the metalloids, which have properties of both metals and nonmetals.

Each row of the periodic table is a period. These are arranged based on increasing numbers of electrons in the outer shells of atoms.

The columns of the periodic table are called groups or families. They are arranged based on similar numbers of VALENCE electrons in the OUTER shell of electrons for each atom. The Group or Family determines how an element will combine with other elements in chemical reactions.

The Loners…elements that don’t exactly fit… Hydrogen and Helium do not exactly fit into family groups. Mostly due to their size and arrangement, they can react a bit differently than the other elements below them in the family group. Thus, they are often kept separated due to these properties.

Why do elements belong in certain families on the periodic table? Due to the atom’s VALENCE. VALENCE is the number of electrons that an atom has in its OUTER most shell. This number varies depending on how many shells of electrons an element has.

The number of Valence electrons varies depending on the shell…the order of the shells is designated by a letter: K, L, M, N, O, P, Q…

Once the maximum number of electrons is in a shell, the next shell begins to be filled—this corresponds to a new Period in the Periodic Table! Atoms are most stable if they have filled or empty outer shells.

Valence Electrons: Determined by the total number of electrons and in which shells they are located.

Periodic Table Family Groups Group I 1st Column Alkali metals The members of the Alkali Metals family include: Lithium (Li), Sodium (Na), Potassium (K), Rubidium (Rb), Cesium (Cs) and Francium (Fr). They are very reactive. Why? They all have one electron in their outer shell. That's one electron away from being happy (full shells). When you are that close to having a full shell, you want to bond with other elements and lose that electron. An increased desire to bond means you are more reactive. In fact, when you put some of these pure elements in water, they will cause huge explosions.

Periodic Table Family Groups 2nd Column Alkaline-Earth Metals The members of the alkaline earth metals include: beryllium (Be), magnesium (Mg), calcium (Ca), strontium (Sr), barium (Ba) and radium (Ra). While not as reactive as the alkali metals, this family knows how to make bonds very easily. Each of them has two electrons in their outer shells. They are ready to give up those two electrons in electrovalent bonds. Sometimes you will see them with two halogen atoms (BeF2) and sometimes they might form a double bond (CaO). It's all about giving up those electrons to have a full outer shell.

Periodic Table Family Groups Column 17 Halogen Group The second column from the right side of the periodic table contains Group Seventeen (Group XVII). This column is the home of the halogen family of elements. The elements include Fluorine (F), Chlorine (Cl), Bromine (Br), Iodine (I), and Astatine (At). They are all just one electron shy of having full shells. Because they are so close to being happy, they have the trait of combining with many different elements. You will often find them bonding with metals and elements from Group One of the periodic table.

Periodic Table Family Groups Group 18 (or group 0) Column 18 Inert (Noble) Gases All of the elements in Group 18 (Zero) are inert gases. They include Helium (He), Neon (Ne), Argon (Ar), Krypton (Kr), Xenon (Xe), and Radon (Rn). Don't think that because these elements don't like to react, we don't use them. You will find inert gases all over our world. Neon is used in advertising signs. Argon is used in light bulbs. Helium is used to cool things and in balloons. Xenon is used in headlights for new cars. When you move down the periodic table, as the atomic numbers increase, the elements become rarer.

Periodic Table Family Groups Columns 3-11 Transition Metals, IIIb-IIb There are many transition metals, that include 21 (Scandium) through 29 (Copper); 39 (Yttrium) through 47 (Silver); 57 (Lanthanum) through 79 (Gold); 89 (Actinium) and all higher numbers. The transition metals are able to put up to 32 electrons in their second to last shell. Transition metals can use the TWO outermost shells/orbitals to bond with other elements. It's a chemical trait that allows them to bond with many elements in a variety of shapes. Most transition elements have two shells that are not happy. Whenever you have a shell that is not happy, its electrons can bond with other elements.