How many of valence electrons do the elements in column 4 have? Are these elements very reactive?

1 Answer
Jacob T.
Mar 18, 2018

4- assuming that you are talking about the fourth representative group or group 14 of the periodic table.

Explanation:

Elements in group 14 have 4 valence electrons. Meaning that to achieve a stable octet they need to either gain or lose 4 electrons in total. That would take significantly more energy than other elements, e.g., group 1 (alkaline metals) or group 17 (halogens.)

Additionally, some of the lighter elements in this group (like carbon and silicon) form giant covalent structure (e.g., diamond and graphite) at standard conditions, resulting in significant activation energy for many reactions involving these species and further reducing their reactivities.

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