What is The Periodic Table of Elements? Continued
The Element Groups
The periodic chart is made up of nine different element groups where a bunch of elements that have something in common are clumped together. For instance, non-metals are clumped together because the elements are all poor conductors of heat and electricity. Here's a list of all nine element groups:
Alkali Metals - These are group one in the periodic table. They don't occur freely in nature and are softer than most metals. Like all metals, they are great heat conductors and can even explode if exposed to water.
Alkaline Earth Metals - These are group two in the periodic table. Because they're extremely reactive, they aren't found freely in nature. An example of an alkaline earth metal is radium.
Transition Metals - The 38 elements in groups three to 12 are called transition metals. Three interesting elements in this group are iron, cobalt and nickel. They're the only elements known that produce a magnetic field.
Other Metals - There are seven elements considered "other metals" in groups 13 to 15. All these elements are solid with a high density. Examples of them are tin, aluminum and lead.
Metalliods - These elements have both metal and non-metal properties. Some of them are semi-conductors, which means they can carry an electrical charge under special conditions. Metalloids are great for computers and calculators.
Non-Metals - These fall into groups 14 to 16 in the periodic table. They can't conduct heat or electricity very well and are brittle. They also can't be made into wire or sheets. At room temperature, non-metals turn into gasses and solids.
Halogens - All five halogens are non-metallic elements. "Halogen" means "salt former" so compounds that contain halogen are called "salts." At room temperature, they are in three states of matter: solid, liquid and gas.
Noble Gases - The six noble gases are in group 18. All of 'em have the maximum number of electrons possible in their outer shell which makes them stable. Examples of noble gases are helium, neon and krypton.
Rare Earth Elements - There are 30 rare earth elements. Many of them are synthetic or man-made. They're found in group three of the periodic table and the sixth and seventh groups.
Now that you know how to read the periodic table, you shouldn't have any excuses for not handing in your science homework or passing your
Need to study a little more? Head back to the first page right here.
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