Periodic Trends: FAMILIES

Alkali Metals (Group 1) - do not occur elementally in nature - stored under kerosene or other hydrocarbon solvent because they react with water vapor or oxygen in air  - form water-soluble bases - are strong reducing agents - are good conductors of electricity and heat - are ductile, malleable, and soft enough to be cut with a knife - have a silvery luster, low density, and a low melting point

Alkaline Earth Metals (Group 2) - do not occur elementally in nature - occur most commonly as carbonates, phosphates, silicates, and sulfates - occur naturally as compounds that are either insoluble or only slightly soluble in water - are less reactive than alkali metals - primarily form ionic compounds - react w/water to form bases and hydrogen gas - are good conductors of heat and electricity - are ductile and malleable - have a silvery luster - include the naturally radioactive element radium

Transition Metals (Groups 3-12) are usually harder and more brittle than metals in groups 1 and 2 - have higher melting and boiling points than metals in groups 1 and 2 - are good conductors of heat and electricity - are malleable and ductile - have a silvery luster, except copper and gold - include radioactive elements 89 through 109 - include mercury, the only metal that is liquid at room temperature - have chemical properties that tend to differ from each other - often form colored compounds

Boron Family (Group 13) - do not occur elementally in nature - are scarce in nature (except Al, which is the most abundant metallic element) - are metallic (except B, which is a solid metalloid) - are soft and have low melting points (except B, which is hard & has a high melting point) - are chemically reactive at moderate temperatures (except boron)

Carbon Family (Group 14) vary greatly in both physical and chemical properties - occur in nature in both combined and elemental forms - are relatively unreactive - tend to form covalent compounds (tin and lead also form ionic compounds)

Nitrogen Family (Group 15) consists of two nonmetals (N and P), two metalloids (As and Sb), and one metal (Bi) - nitrogen is most commonly found as atmospheric N2, phosphorus as phosphate rock, and arsenic, antimony, and bismuth as sulfides or oxides; antimony and bismuth are also found elementally - have five valence electrons - tend to form covalent compounds, most commonly with oxidation numbers of +3 or +5 - are solids at room temperature, except nitrogen

Oxygen Family (Group 15) occur elementally in nature and in combined states - consists of three nonmetals (oxygen, sulfur, and selenium), one metalloid (tellurium), and one metal (polonium) - tend to form covalent compounds with other elements - tend to exist as diatomic and polyatomic molecules, such as O2, O3, S6, S8, and Se8

Halogen Family (Group 17) are nonmetals and occur in combined form in nature - found in the rocks of Earth's crust and dissolved in sea water - exist at room temperature as a gas (F2 and Cl2), a liquid (Br2), and a solid (I2 and At) - have seven valence electrons - are reactive, with fluorine being the most reactive of all nonmetals

Noble Gases not reactive - have a full outer energy (Group 18) not reactive - have a full outer energy level - are all gases - are all nonmetals