When refering to the periodic table of elements, what are periods, families, and groups?
Periods are the horizontal rows, groups are the vertical columns. The Periodic table can be divided into nine families of elements each having similar properties. The families include: Alkali metals The alkali metals, found in group 1 of the periodic table, are highly reactive metals that do not occur freely in nature. These metals have only one electron in their outer shell. Therefore, they are ready to lose that one electron in ionic bonding with other elements. As with all metals, the alkali metals are malleable, ductile, and are good conductors of heat and electricity. The alkali metals are softer than most other metals. Alkaline metals The alkaline earth elements are metallic elements found in the second group of the periodic table. All alkaline earth elements have an oxidation number of +2, making them very reactive. The Transition metals The 38 elements in groups 3 through 12 of the periodic table are called “transition metals.” As with all metals, the transition elements are bo
