What do the reactive properties of an atom depend on

Alkali and Alkaline Earth Metals are soft and melt at low temperatures. They react well with nonmetals because they can easily give up electrons to form ions.

Transition Metals can have a slight charge which lets them bond easily to nonmetals. Compounds with these elements tend to be colored and have interesting magnetic properties. Halogens are very reactive nonmetals because they easily accept electrons from other elements. They are very reactive and can gain or lose different numbers of electrons in reactions.

And they all want to get rid of that single, lonely electron, any way they can. Collection Credits. Print Share. What Makes an Element Reactive? Teacher Resource Posted Teaching Tips Here are some of the main ideas students should take away from this video: The location of electrons in an atom can be described as concentric shells around the nucleus of the atom. The number of electrons in the outermost shell of an atom determines its reactivity. Noble gases have low reactivity because they have full electron shells.

Halogens are highly reactive because they readily gain an electron to fill their outermost shell. Alkali metals are highly reactive because they readily lose the single electron in their outermost shell.

Why are noble gases sometimes called inert gases? Think of and describe an analogy to help you remember whether noble gases are reactive. In terms of electrons, what do elements located in the same column of the periodic table have in common? Where does that term "noble gases" come from? Are they nobility? Do they rush to rescue maidens?

These representations can be thought of as equivalent for monoatomic ions, but the Roman numerals cannot be applied to polyatomic ions. Ions can be formed by ionization, which is the process of a neutral atom losing or gaining electrons.

Generally, the electrons are either added to or lost from the valence shell of an atom; the inner-shell electrons are more tightly bound to the positively charged nucleus and so do not participate in this type of chemical interaction. Ionization generally involves a transfer of electrons between atoms or molecules.

The process is motivated by the achievement of more stable electronic configurations, such as the octet rule, which states that most stable atoms and ions have eight electrons in their outermost valence shell. Polyatomic ions are generally very unstable and reactive. However, according to the octet rule, sodium would be more stable with 10 electrons 2 in its inner most shell, 8 in its outermost shell.

Therefore, sodium tends to lose an electron to become more stable. On the other hand, chlorine tends to gain an electron to become Cl —. Chlorine naturally has 17 electrons but it would be more stable with 18 electrons 2 in its inner most shell, 8 in its second shell, and 8 in its valence shell.

Therefore, chlorine will take an electron from another atom to become negatively charged. Periodic Properties: Part 3, Ionic Radius, Predicting Ionic Charges — YouTube : A continuation of the discussion of periodic properties, including ionic radius and how to predict ionic charges. Privacy Policy. Skip to main content. Atoms, Molecules, and Ions. Search for:. The Periodic Table The Periodic Table The periodic table shows all the elements and their physical properties; it is arranged based on atomic numbers and electron configurations.

Learning Objectives Identify the common periodic trends that can be deduced from the periodic table of elements. Key Takeaways Key Points The periodic table lists all the elements, with information about their atomic weights, chemical symbols, and atomic numbers. The arrangement of the periodic table leads us to visualize certain trends among the atoms.

The vertical columns groups of the periodic table are arranged such that all its elements have the same number of valence electrons. All elements within a certain group thus share similar properties. Key Terms atomic number : The number, equal to the number of protons in an atom, that determines its chemical properties. Molecules Molecules are electrically neutral compounds made of multiple atoms bound together by chemical bonds.

Learning Objectives Recognize the general properties of molecules. Key Takeaways Key Points Molecules are neutral and do not carry any charge. A molecule may consist of nonmetallic atoms of a single chemical element, as with oxygen O 2 , or of different elements, as with water H 2 O. The geometry and composition of a molecule will determine its chemical and physical properties. Key Terms covalent : when 2 or more nonmetallic atoms are bound together by sharing electrons.