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The halogens are in group VII on the Periodic Table, meaning that they have seven electrons in their outer shell. They only need one more electron, making eight, to have stability, so they try their absolute hardest to get it. It is just like a human collecting Baseball cards. If they have a card for every person on their favorite team, except for one, then they will try their hardest to find that card.
Wiki User
∙ 12y ago
Wiki User
∙ 11y agoThe halogens: fluorine, chlorine, bromine, and iodine, are the most reactive non-metals on the periodic table. They are so reactive because they all have 7 valence electrons. They want 8, which satisfies the octet rule. 7 is really close to 8, so it doesn't take much electron affinity for that final electron to join up with them. So they react readily, especially with group 1 or group 2 metals, all of which are eager to get rid of their valence electrons.
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How are group 1 elements different from the group 18 elements?
The difference between group 1 and group 2 metals is that group 1 metals have ONE valence electron and group 2 have TWO valence electrons. This makes a great difference in how they react chemically with other elements and compounds.
Why are Alkali metals so reactive?
Alkali Metals are group One elements and have one electron in their outer electron shell. In order to become stable they tend to lose an electron by reacting with something that needs an electron to become stable such as a group seven halogen. The Alkali Metal then become positive ions.This is because they only have on valance electron. This makes it easier to react with other elements and more often also.
What makes halogens stand out from all of the other elements?
They are highly reactive
Why group 7 is called halogens?
halogen means salt forming and they form salts with the grout 1 elements
What makes a halogen unique?
The halogens are a group of elements on the Periodic Table (group 17/7A) which are all highly reactive non-metals. They consist of fluorine (F), chlorine (Cl), Bromine (Br), and Iodine (I). Astatine (At) is also in that group, but is rarely encountered in chemistry. They are unique because the first four referred to above are all diatomic, which means they exist in nature as a diatomic molecule with a single covalent bond. Because they have seven valence electrons, the octet rule says they only need to acquire one more to achieve a full valence shell. This means they are one of the most reactive groups of elements, and they react readily with most metals.
What makes the elements in the halogen group reactive?
they need one more electron to attain noble gas configuration and hence are highly reactive.
What is the most reactive group of elements?
It is in Group 17 that you will find the most reactive elements. These elements all lack only one electron from having that "magic" electron configuration of the inert gases. That makes these elements very "hungry" to get that "last electron" so their electron structures become more stable.
How are group 1 elements different from the group 18 elements?
The difference between group 1 and group 2 metals is that group 1 metals have ONE valence electron and group 2 have TWO valence electrons. This makes a great difference in how they react chemically with other elements and compounds.
Why are Alkali metals so reactive?
Alkali Metals are group One elements and have one electron in their outer electron shell. In order to become stable they tend to lose an electron by reacting with something that needs an electron to become stable such as a group seven halogen. The Alkali Metal then become positive ions.This is because they only have on valance electron. This makes it easier to react with other elements and more often also.
What makes halogens stand out from all of the other elements?
They are highly reactive
Why HF is less reactive than HCl?
HF is less reactive due to the very strong bond between hydrogen and a halogen (Florine) which doesn't dissociates easily. A strong bond does not allow this acid to react easily.The reactivity of halogen acidsincrease as the size of halogen atom increases down the group. And the inertness increases as we move to top from bottom in a group of halogens.HCl is more reactant than HF due to the large size of Cl atom and due to the large size of Cl atom, the bond between H and Cl is weak so it dissociates easily. This makes it more reactive.The reactivity of halogen acids is:HF
Why group 7 is called halogens?
halogen means salt forming and they form salts with the grout 1 elements
What makes a halogen unique?
The halogens are a group of elements on the Periodic Table (group 17/7A) which are all highly reactive non-metals. They consist of fluorine (F), chlorine (Cl), Bromine (Br), and Iodine (I). Astatine (At) is also in that group, but is rarely encountered in chemistry. They are unique because the first four referred to above are all diatomic, which means they exist in nature as a diatomic molecule with a single covalent bond. Because they have seven valence electrons, the octet rule says they only need to acquire one more to achieve a full valence shell. This means they are one of the most reactive groups of elements, and they react readily with most metals.
Why is most reactive nonmetal are found in group 17?
All metals react with other elements by losing their outermost electrons in their atoms forming 'positive ions'. So the ease with which they can lose these electrons gives us an indication of how reactive they are. Aluminium, as an example has three electrons in the outer orbits of each aluminum atom, and so three have to be lost for the aluminum to react. Calcium, a more reactive metal has only 2 electrons in the outermost orbits of its atoms, and so these are more easily lost, making calcium more reactive. However all group 1 elements (Lithium, Sodium, Potassium, Rubidium, Caesium, Francium) all have just one electron in the outermost orbits of their atoms, and so they are the most reactive of all metals as this one electron is very easily lost. More than this, the reactivity gets stronger as the atoms get larger (as you proceed down the group) because the outermost electron is further away from the nucleus and is therefore less strongly bound to the atom than the outermost electron in smaller atoms like lithium as the electron is closer to the nucleus and more tightly bonded to the rest of the atom. This means that Lithium is the least reactive of the Group 1 elements and Francium the most reactive. Francium is radioactive and does not exist in large quantities, so practically caesium is the most reactive. Lithium, when placed on the surface of some water fizzes vigorously. However, caesium, when placed in a glass trough of water explodes violently, with enough force to shatter the trough and possibly damage greatly the surrounding area too.
Why is group 17 more reactive than group 16?
The elements of this group do not have a stable number of electrons. - - - - - Group 17, the halogens, are extremely reactive (the only non-reactive elements are in group 18, the noble gases, but group 17 elements are more reactive than other group elements) because of their high "effective nuclear charge." An atom wants to have eight electrons in its outer shell, whether it's because it naturally has that many like the group 18 elements do or because it bonded to other atoms and share electrons with them. The closer to eight an atom has on its own, the higher this charge is - which makes it more reactive. Group 17 atoms all have seven electrons in their outer shells, so they are on the hunt for anything they can possibly grab. For more entertainment, the fewer shells an atom has between its "helium layer" (that lil' shell right around the nucleus with two electrons in it) and the outer shell, the higher this effective nuclear charge is. Because fluorine only has two shells, its effective nuclear charge is as high as it can get...which is why fluorine will react with anything including glass.
Group containing iodine and chlorine?
Iodine and chlorine are group 17 elements. They are called halogens and all lack one electron of having an electron configuration that mimics that of an inert or noble gas. That makes them very reactive. A link is provided to the Wikipedia article on the halogens.
What at the atomic level what makes elements reactive?
their atoms take,give,or share electrons with other atoms :)
