GK SCIENTIST

General Knowledge One Stop Source
Menu
  • Home
  • Social Science
    • History
    • Political Science
    • Geography
  • Science
    • Physics
    • Chemistry
    • Biology
  • Chemistry Notes
  • Mathematics
  • Computer
  • Tutorial MySQL
  • Tutorial Python
  • Java Tutorial
  • English Grammar
  • English Essay
  • Indian Anthropology
  • Philosophy
  • Solved Paper
  • UPSC
  • Current Content
    • Current Affairs
    • RSTV News
    • Yojana and Kurukshetra Gist
  • Donate
  • Contact Us

If you are interested in advertising to our audience, submit the advertising enquiry form.

Advertising Enquiry
Science

Group 16 Elements (Oxygen Family)

Gk Scientist February 18, 2021 No Comments
Tweet WhatsApp Telegram

Oxygen Family:

The elements Oxygen (O), Sulfur (S), Selenium (Se), Tellurium (Te) and Polonium (Po) together constitute group 16 of the long form of Periodic table and are collectively referred to as Members of “Oxygen Family”. These elements are also known as Chalcogens (meaning “Ore forming”) because most of these elements exist in the form of ores. The last member, i.e. Po, is radioactive in nature with a very short half-life period.

General Trends in Physical Properties of Oxygen Family:

(i) Electronic Configuration- The general outer electronic configuration of the members of the oxygen family is ns2 np4 (n = 2 to 6) indicating that these elements have six electrons in the valence shell (2 in s-orbital and 4 in p-orbitals).

Element / SymbolAtomic NumberElectronic Configuration
Oxygen, O81s2, 2s2 2p4 or [He] 2s2 2p4
Sulfur, S161s2, 2s2 2p6, 3s2 3p4 or [Ne] 3s2 3p4
Selenium, Se341s2, 2s2 2p6, 3s2 3p6 3d10, 4s2 4p4 or [Ar] 3d10, 4s2 4p4
Tellurium, Te521s2, 2s2 2p6, 3s2 3p6 3d10, 4s2 4p6 4d10, 5s2 5p4 or [ Kr] 4d10, 5s2 5p4
Polonium, Po841s2, 2s2 2p6, 3s2 3p6 3d10, 4s2 4p6 4d10 4f14, 5s2 5p6 5d10, 6s2 6p4 or [Xe] 4f14, 5d10, 6s2 6p4

(ii) Physical State- Oxygen is a colourless diatomic gas while other members are solids.

(iii) Density- The densities of elements of group 16 increases gradually on moving down the group from ‘O’ to ‘Po’ due to increase in atomic mass which dominates the effect of increase in atomic size.

(iv) Atomic radii and Ionic radii- The elements of group 16 have small values of atomic radii because of their high nuclear charge. However, on moving down the group from ‘O’ to ‘Po’, there is an increase in atomic radii with the increase in atomic number due to an increase in the number of inner energy levels. Like atomic radii, ionic radii also shows an increasing trend in moving down the group.

(v) Melting points and Boiling points- The melting points and boiling points of elements of group 16 gradually increases on moving down the group. The melting point and boiling point of Po are, however, less than that of Te.

(vi) Electronegativity- The members of group 16 have high values of electronegativity because of their small atomic size. Oxygen, the first member of the family has maximum electronegativity in its group (3.5) and it shows a decreasing trend on moving down the group due to increase in atomic size as a valence shell electrons decrease.

(vii) Ionisation energy- The elements of group 16 have quite high values of ionisation energy because of their small atomic size. However, on moving down the group from ‘O’ to ‘Po’, ionisation energy shows a decreasing trend due to increase in atomic size and screening effect which causes decrease in the forces of attraction between nucleus and valence shell electrons.

(viii) Molecular Structure- Oxygen exists as diatomic (O2) gaseous molecule while other members are solid, and have a complex molecular structure. Example- ‘S’ and ‘Se’ exist as octa-atomic molecules (S8 and Se8) which form a puckered type of ring structures.

(ix) Catenation- Oxygen and sulfur show the property of catenation though to a very little extent and it further decreases on moving down the group from ‘O’ to ‘Po’.

O = O ——(O2)

H – O – O – H ——–(H2O2)

H – S – S – S – S – H ————-(H2S4)

(x) Oxidation States- The electronic configuration of these elements (ns2 np4) shows that they require two electrons to attain the stable electronic configuration which they attain either by gaining or by sharing two electrons with other elements. Thus, these elements show both positive and negative oxidation states-

  • Negative Oxidation States- The tendency to show negative oxidation states decreases on moving down the group due to a decrease in electronegativity. Oxygen being most electronegative in its group acquires stable configuration by gaining two electrons and thus forms dinegative ions (O2-) thereby exhibiting -2 oxidation state most commonly. However, it also exhibits an oxidation state of -1 in Peroxides (Na2O2, H2O2 etc.). Sulfur also shows -2 oxidation state in some of its compounds. Example- Na2S, H2S etc. The other members of the family hardly show any tendency to exhibit negative oxidation states.
  • Positive Oxidation States- The only positive oxidation state shown by ‘O’ is +2 in OF2 (oxygen difluoride) because of the high electronegativity of F (4.0) than that of oxygen (3.5). The other members of the family (S, Se, Te) because of their comparatively lower electrovities and presence of vacant d-orbitals in their valence shell can show positive oxidation states of +2, +4 and +6. Example- SO2 (+4), SO3 (+6), SeF4 (+4), SeF6 (+6), TeBr4 (+4), TeF6 (+6) etc. The +4 oxidation state is shown when only p-electrons are unpaired and promoted to vacant d-orbital while +6 oxidation state is shown when both s and p electrons are promoted to the vacant d-orbitals of the valence shell. Oxygen does not show higher oxidation states due to the absence of vacant d-orbitals in its valence shell.
Group 15 Elements (Nitrogen Family)
  • Group 14 Elements (Carbon Family)
  • Group 13 Elements (Boron Family)
  • Group 2 Elements (Alkaline Earth Metals)
  • Group 1 Elements (Alkali Metals)
  • Group 17 Elements (Halogen Family)
  • Group 18 Elements (Noble Gases)
  • Modern ABC of Chemistry Class-12 Part I & Part II (Set of 2 Books)
Prev Article
Next Article

Related Articles

Concept of Temperature (Zeroth Law)
Zeroth Law: It is our common experience that when a …
Gk Scientist December 4, 2021 Science

Concept of Temperature (Zeroth Law)

Bonding in Coordination Compounds
Bonding in Coordination Compounds: Werner’s theory was the first successful …
Gk Scientist February 14, 2021 Science

Bonding in Coordination Compounds

Biology GK Compilation From NEET Exam 2020
Biology GK Compilation From NEET Exam 2020: 1. Name the enzyme …
Gk Scientist October 28, 2020 Science, Solved Paper

Biology GK Compilation From NEET Exam 2020

Sulfur Dioxide Preparation and Physical Properties
Sulfur Dioxide Preparation and Physical Properties: Sulfur dioxide is present …
Gk Scientist July 15, 2021 Science

Sulfur Dioxide Preparation and Physical Properties

Mitosis (Indirect Cell Division)
What is Mitosis? The process of cell division was observed …
Gk Scientist September 5, 2020 Biology Questions, Science

Mitosis (Indirect Cell Division)

Gonads (Ovaries in Females and Testes in Male)
Gonads: Gonads (ovaries in females and testes in males) are …
Gk Scientist February 23, 2021 Science

Gonads (Ovaries in Females and Testes in Male)

Skeletal System
What is Skeletal System? The hard parts of an animal …
Gk Scientist November 22, 2020 Biology Questions, Science

Skeletal System

Rhizopus Morphology and Cell Structure
Rhizopus Morphology and Cell Structure: Rhizopus is also called a …
Gk Scientist November 19, 2021 Science

Rhizopus Morphology and Cell Structure

Leave a Reply Cancel Reply

Search

  • Popular
  • Recent

GK SCIENTIST

General Knowledge One Stop Source

Information

  • About Us
  • Terms and Condition, Disclaimer
  • Contact Us

Android Apps

  • IAS App For English Medium Students
  • IAS Basics App For English Medium Students
  • IAS Hindi App For Hindi Medium Students
DMCA.com Protection Status

Popular Tags

Biology (34) Biology Questions (89) Chemistry (57) Computer (215) Current Affairs (4) Current Content (0) Economy (18) English Essay (172) English Grammar (75) English Literature (10) Geography (83) History (259) Indian Anthropology (11) Indian Polity (14) JKAS Mains Question Papers (17) Mathematics (68) Moral Science (7) NCERT & Other Boards Books (25) Philosophy (115) Physics (89) Political Science (134) RS TV News (33) Science (553) Social Anthropology (7) Social Science (17) Solved Paper (47) UPSC (7) UPSC Mains Question Papers (26)

Downloads

  • NCERT Books
  • Old NCERT Books
  • NIOS Books For IAS, SSC, and State PSC Exam
  • Tamil Nadu Board Books: Important For UPSC, SSC, and State PSC Exam
  • Modern Indian and World History Notes For IAS Exam
  • UPSC Topper 2013 Gaurav Agrawal Notes For IAS Preparation
  • UPSC IAS Prelims General Studies – Previous Year Papers
  • UPSC Mains Question Papers

Copyright © 2023 GK SCIENTIST
Theme by MyThemeShop.com& Hosted On Cloudways

Ad Blocker Detected

Our website is made possible by displaying online advertisements to our visitors. Please consider supporting us by disabling your ad blocker.

Refresh