Those transition metalsthat fill the 5f orbital. Because actinium—which does not fill the f orbital—exhibits characteristics similar to those of the actinides, it is usually considered part of the actinides family.
All members, ex-cepthydrogen, of Group 1 on the periodic table of elements, with valence electron configurations of ns 1 .
Group 2 on the periodic table of elements, with valence electron configurations of ns 2 .
A mixture containing more than one metal.
The ability to conduct heat or electricity. Metals are noted for their high levels of conductivity.
A term describing an internal structure in which the constituent parts have a simple and definite geometric arrangement, repeated in all directions. Metals have a crystalline structure.
Capable of being bent or molded into various shapes without breaking.
A widely accepted model of internal bonding within metals, which depicts metal atoms as floating in a "sea" of valence electrons.
Columns on the periodic table of elements. These are ordered according to the numbers of valence electrons in the outer shells of the atoms for the elements represented.
The lanthanides and actinides, both of which fill the f orbitals. For this reason, they are usually treated as distinct from the transition metals.
An atom or group of atoms that has lost or gained one or more electrons, and thus has a net electric charge.
Atoms that have an equal number of protons, and hence are of the same element, but differ in their number of neutrons. This results in a difference ofmass. Isotopes may be either stable or unstable. The latter type, known as radioisotopes, are radioactive.
A version of the periodic table of elements, authorized by the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC), which numbers all groups on the table from 1 to 18. Thus in the IUPAC system, in use primarily outside of North America, both the representative or main-group elements and the transition metals are numbered.
The transition metalsthat fill the 4f orbital. Because lanthanum—which does not fill the f orbital—exhibits characteristics similar to those of the lanthanides, it is usually considered part of the lanthanide family.
A collection of 87 elements that includes numerous families—the alkali metals, alkaline earth metals, transition metals, lanthanides, and actinides, as well as seven elements in groups 3 through5 of the North American system periodic table. Metals are lustrous or shiny inappearance, and ductile. They are excellent conductors of heat and electricity, and tend to form positive ions by losing electrons.
A version of the periodic table of elements that only numbers groups of elements in which the number of valence electrons equals the group number. Hence the transition metalsare usually not numbered in this system.
A pattern of probabilities regarding the position of an electron for anatom in a particular energy state. The higher the principal energy level, the more complex the pattern of orbitals.
A chart that shows the elements arranged in order of atomic number, along with chemical symbol and the average atomic mass for that particular element. Elements are arranged in groups or columns, as well as in rows or periods, according to specific aspects of their valence electron configurations.
Rows on the periodic table of elements. These represent successive principal energy levels for the valence electrons in the atoms of the elements involved.
A value indicating the distance that an electron may move away from the nucleus of anatom. This is designated by a whole-number integer, beginning with 1 and moving upward. The higher the principal energy level, the greater the energy in the atom, and the more complex the pattern of orbitals.
A term describing a phenomenon whereby certain isotopes known as radioisotopes are subject to a form of decay brought about by the emission of high-energy particles. "Decay" does not mean that the isotope "rots"; rather, it decays to form another isotope until eventually (though this may take a long time) it becomes stable.
The tendency for bonds between atoms or molecules to be made or broken in such a way that materials aretransformed.
The 44 elements in Groups 1 through 8 on the North American version of periodic table of elements, for which the number of valence electrons equals the group number. (The only exception is helium.) The alkali metals and alkaline earth metals are representative elements; all other metals are not.
Generally, a salt is any compound that brings together a metal and a nonmetal. Salts are produced, along with water, in the reaction of an acid and a base.
A group of 40 elements (counting lanthanum and actinium), which are not assigned a group number in the version of the periodic table of elements known as the North Americansystem. These are the only elements that fill the d orbital. In addition, the transition metals—unlike the representative or main-group elements—have their valence electrons on two different principal energy levels. Though the lanthanides and actinides are known as inner transition metals, they are usually treated separately.
Electrons that occupy the highest principal energy level in an atom. These are the electrons involved in chemical bonding.
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