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Main Group Elements

The document discusses main group elements, which include s-block and p-block elements on the periodic table. S-block elements are alkali and alkaline earth metals, while p-block elements include metals, metalloids, nonmetals, halogens and noble gases. The document outlines properties of s-block and p-block elements, including their oxidation states, valence configurations and reactivity. It notes main group elements are abundant in the universe and critical for life, and their compounds are economically important in manufactured products.

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Sharlene Roberts
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383 views8 pages

Main Group Elements

The document discusses main group elements, which include s-block and p-block elements on the periodic table. S-block elements are alkali and alkaline earth metals, while p-block elements include metals, metalloids, nonmetals, halogens and noble gases. The document outlines properties of s-block and p-block elements, including their oxidation states, valence configurations and reactivity. It notes main group elements are abundant in the universe and critical for life, and their compounds are economically important in manufactured products.

Uploaded by

Sharlene Roberts
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOC, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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The 

main group elements are the chemical elements belonging to the s-block


and p-block on the periodic table. These are elements in group 1 and group 2
(s-block) and groups 13 through 18 (p-block). In older IUPAC group
numbering systems, the main group elements are groups IA, IIA, and IIIA to
VIIIA. When the periodic table is divided in this manner, the other main element
categories are the transition metals and the inner transition metals.
The s-block elements are the alkali metals and alkaline earth metals. The p-
block elements are the basic metals, metalloids, nonmetals, halogens, and
noble gases. Examples of main group elements include helium, lithium, boron,
carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, fluorine, and neon.
Elements that are not main group elements are the transition metals (such as
titanium, copper, and gold), the lanthanides (such as lanthanum and erbium),
and the actinides (such as actinium and plutonium). Some people don’t include
the superheavy elements from meitnerium (atomic number 109) to oganesson
(atomic number 118) because too few atoms have been synthesized to verify
their properties and because these properties are heavily influenced by
relativistic effects. Sometimes the element hydrogen (atomic number 1) is
excluded as a main group element.

Other Main Group Elements


Some scientists believe the group 12 elements (zinc, cadmium, and mercury)
should be included as main group elements because they share common
properties with the elements to the right of them on the table. A few scientists
include the group 3 elements (scandium and yttrium) and sometimes the
lanthanides and actinides.

Main Group Element Properties


Main group element properties depend on whether they are s-block or p-block
elements:
S-Block Element Properties
 The s-block elements have one oxidation state.
 Their general valence configuration is ns1–2.
 Group 1 elements (alkali metals) have a +1 oxidation state. Group 2
elements (alkaline earth metals) have a +2 oxidation state.
 With the exception of helium, all s-block elements are highly reactive.
 The s-block metals tend to be soft, with low melting and boiling points.
 S-block metals are highly electropositive. They form ionic compounds
with nonmetals.
 Most of the s-block elements impart color to a flame.

P-Block Element Properties


 The p-block elements are characterized by having multiple oxidation
states, often separated by two units. For example, the oxidation states of
sulfur are -2, 0, +2, +4 and +6.
 But, oxidation state and other properties depend on the group. The
group 17 elements (halogens) have an oxidation state of -1, while the
group 18 elements (noble gases) have an oxidation state of 0.
 The general oxidation state of p-block metals is  ns2 np1–6. Their valence
electron is in the p orbital.
 P-block elements include nonmetals, metalloids, and metals, so their
properties depend on their group.

Importance of the Main Group Elements


The main group elements are important for a few reasons:
 The main group elements, along with a few light transition metals, are
the most abundant elements in the universe and on Earth. They comprise
80% of the Earth’s crust. For this reason, the main group elements are also
called the representative elements.
 These elements are critical for supporting life. Biological molecules
require main group elements, particularly carbon, oxygen, hydrogen,
nitrogen, sulfur, and phosphorus.
 The main group elements and their compounds are among the most
economically important elements. The majority of manufactured products
contain these elements.

References
 IUPAC (2004). Nomenclature of Inorganic Chemistry.
 Jensen, William B. (2003). “The Place of Zinc, Cadmium, and Mercury in
the Periodic Table”. Journal of Chemical Education. 80 (8):
952. doi:10.1021/ed080p952
 King, R. Bruce (1995). Inorganic Chemistry of Main Group Elements.
Wiley-VCH. ISBN 0-471-18602-3.
Extended data table for COPPER

property of copper/unit value for Cu

melting point Cu/oC 1083

boiling point Cu/oC 2567

density Cu/gcm–3 8.92

1st Ionisation Energy Cu/kJmol –1 745

2nd IE/kJmol–1 1958

3rd IE/kJmol–1 3554

4th IE/kJmol–1 5326

5th IE/kJmol–1 7709

atomic radius Cu/pm 128

Cu2+ ionic radius/pm 69

Relative polarising power Cu2+ ion 2.9

oxidation states of Cu, less common/stable +1, +2, +3

simple electron configuration of Cu 2,8,18,1

outer electrons of Cu [Ar]3d104s1

Electrode potential Cu(s)/Cu2+(aq) +0.34V

Electronegativity of Cu 1.90
There is an apparent anomaly in the electron configuration for copper

Cu is [Ar]3d104s1 and not [Ar]3d94s2

because a fully–filled 3d sub–shell seems to be a little lower in energy, and


marginally more stable.

 Uses of COPPER
o Copper is an attractive orange–reddish coloured
metal which is very ductile and malleable.

o Copper's thermal and electrical conductivities are second only to


silver, but not cheap, but cheaper than silver!

o Copper is a relatively unreactive metal and is only slowly oxidised


by moist air.

o Copper is an important metal in many alloys e.g. brass (with


zinc), bronze (with tin) and coinage metals (with nickel).

o Copper is widely used for electrical circuits because of its


excellent conducting properties and is malleable enough to easily
drawn into thin wire.

o Copper is also used for piping in plumbing, again due to its


convenient malleability.

o Copper compounds are used as catalysts in the chemical industry


e.g. copper(I) chloride, CuCl, is used in the manufacture of
chlorobenzene.

o Copper(II) oxide, CuO, is used in paints and copper(II) chloride,


CuCl2, in fungicides.

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