Group 1A the Alkali Metals
Alkali Metal salts are soluble in water
Most reactive metals, must be stored under oil
Not Found freely in Nature, always combined with a nonmetal as an alkali salt
ex NaCl, KBr, KCl, HCl
Bonneville Salt Flats example of area that was once a sea, now an enormous bed of Alkali material
Sodium reacts with cold water forming Sodium hydroxide and releasing Hydrogen Gas

The Alkaline Earth Metals Group 2A
Not as reactive as the Alkali Metals, have 2 electrons in outer orbital
Sea is a rich source of the ions of Mg and Ca
Form Carbonates and Sulfates such as limestone that are insoluble in water
Have traditionally been mined from mineral ores that have been called the Earth's
Are harder than the 1A metals and have a gray white luster
Tarnish quickly in Air to form an oxide coating, allows them to be used in low density structural materials, aircraft and space craft

Aluminum and the Group 3A Elements
Boron, the first of the Group 3A elements is found in large quantities in Death Valley
It is mined and sold as Borax.
Aluminum is the most abundant mineral in the Earth's Crust , commonly found as corundum, which when cut is called ruby or sapphire
Reacts quickly with air to form AlO an oxide that protects it from further weathering.
Until recently pure Al was very hard to acquire and was very expensive

Carbon and the Group 4A Elements
Two of the most important elements of the world are in this group. C and Si
Carbon occurs in all living plant and animal tissue while Silicon is in many of the rocks that make up the earth.
Diamond and graphite are allotropes of the Carbon molecule.
Things that contain Carbon are Known as organic compounds
Silicon is the second most abundant mineral in the earth's crust.
Essential component of sand
Tin and lead are both commonly used in our everyday lives
SnF2 is an important ingredient in toothpaste
The elements in this group are poor conductors of electricity but when combined with other semiconductors can become conductive. ex Si O2

Nitrogen and the Group 5A Elements
Another periodic trend the change physical state begins with group 5A
Nitrogen is a gas at room temperature but if you look down this column all phases occur in this family
Nitrogen is essential to all living organisms. It combines with H to form ammonia, NH3
Phosphorous is present in living organisms as the P in ATP and in DNA
It also is present in our bone ad teeth
It can be found on the tips of matches and is very reactive with Oxygen

Oxygen and the Group 6A Elements
Oxygen is the earth's most abundant element, forming 60% of the human body, 50% of the crust of the Earth and 20 % of the air we breathe.
group 6A continues the trend begun by the N group, their are some of each type of element but the gradual change is occurring.
Se and Te are metalloids having the characteristics of both materials
Ozone or O3 is an allotrope of oxygen that protects us from the UV rays
and is formed by the reaction of O2 with lightening. It can also be an irritant top our lungs or a purifier of water.
Sulfur is a pale yellow tasteless odorless solid, that smells like rotten eggs when combined with a metal

The Halogens Group 7A
this group does not exist in nature in the uncombined state, but their compounds are fairly abundant.
They prefer to combine with the elements from the other side of the table and form Salts, hence their name, the Salt makers.
They are highly reactive and must be handled with extreme caution.
They are essential to our lives and are part of our diet.
This group is homogeneous in characteristic and can easily displace one another
Hydrogen Halides are highly ionized in water and form strong acids when this occurs

Hydrogen
Although H is the most abundant element in the universe, is is relatively rare on earth
Water is the most common hydrogen containing compound
Hydrogen behave like the group 1A in that it likes to bond with the halogens but it can also be found on some tables with the 7A elements because it has one less electron than a noble gas
It is not a metal nor a good conductor of heat or electricity
H is found with three isotopes

Noble Gases
They are called the noble gases because they tend not to interact with the other elements
They are also called the rare gases or the inert gases
Because of their stability they can be used for things like balloons and blimps

Transition Metals
most of these elements are mined and appear in ores.
In general they exhibit metal like properties
As one reads across the table the transition metals load electrons in their next to highest energy level, making them increasingly good conductors
They all have a silvery luster
Are commonly used in alloys

Iron Triad
Fe, Ni, Co
Ni and Co are very corrosion resistant and are used to coat other metals
hematite is iron oxide

Coinage Metals
Cu, Ag, Au have been used for coins since ancient times
are excellent conductors of electricity
very malleable and ductile
corrosion resistant