Trends in the periodic table

• Alkali Metals

  Group 1
• Alkali Metals


  • Highly reactive
  • Readily lose their outermost electron to form a unipositive ion (cation)
  • Excellent reducing agents
• Alkali Metals


  • Soft metals
  • Low melting and boiling points compared to other metals
  • Low densities
  • Typically silvery-white in appearance
• Alkaline Earth Metals

  Group 2
• Alkaline Earth Metals


  • Also quite reactive but less so than alkali metals
  • Readily lose two electrons to form divalent cations
• Alkaline Earth Metals


  • Denser
  • Higher melting and boiling points compared to alkali metals
  • Typically silvery-white in appearance
• Halogens


  Group 17
• Halogens


  • Highly reactive non-metals
  • Readily gain an electron to achieve a stable electron configuration, forming uninegative ions (anions)
• Halogens


  • Exist in various states at room temperature, including gases (fluorine and chlorine), a liquid (bromine), and solids (iodine and astatine)
  • Have distinctive colors and strong odors
• Noble Gases


  Group 18
• Noble Gases


  • Very low reactivity because their outer electron shells are full, making them stable and unreactive under normal conditions
• Noble Gases


  • Colorless, odorless gases at room temperature
  • Low boiling points and densities compared to other elements
• Transition Metals


  Groups 3-12
• Transition Metals


  • Often exhibit variable oxidation states and form colorful compounds due to the presence of partially filled d orbitals
  • Can act as catalysts in chemical reactions
• Transition Metals

  • Typically hard and dense metals with high melting and boiling points
  • Often have high electrical and thermal conductivity
• Lanthanides and Actinides


  • Share many chemical properties with transition metals but are typically more reactive due to the presence of partially filled f orbitals
• Lanthanides


  • Silvery metals with high melting and boiling points
• Actinides

  • Typically radioactive and can exist in various oxidation states