Reactivity and Stability of Chemical Families

Reactivity and Stability of Chemical Families

by Jesse Kuik

​Chemical Reactivity

​Whenever an element is involved in forming a new material, a chemical reaction takes place. (Other than noble gases)

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​Why?

​Noble Gases

• ​Completely filled outer electron shells, and they are unreactive.

• ​A filled electron shell means they do not want to react with another element or substance.

​Other elements...

• ​Want to reactive and form new materials as their valence shells are not complete.

• ​Chemical reactivity directly correlates with an electron shell not being complete.

​Alkali Family

• ​Have one valence electron

• ​React most often with the halogen family, as they have 7 valence electrons (one valence electron shy of a complete electron shell).

​Chemical Reactivity

• ​Is a measure of how easily an element will combine with other elements to form compounds.

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• ​The size of the nucleus determines the chemical reactivity of the element due to its ability to hold onto electrons

​Patterns emerge

• ​Metals tend to lose electrons

• ​Non-metals tend to attract electrons

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• ​It all varies on the size of the nucleus, the number of electrons and the number of shells that an element has.