Physically, transition metals do not “give away” their electrons as easy when a reaction is taking place, this makes them less reactive (as shown in the video above). Alkali metals (so Group 1) however do give away their electrons much more easily and so are considered to be more reactive.

Compared with the alkali metals in group 1 and the alkaline Earth metals in group 2, the transition metals are much less reactive. They don’t react quickly with water or oxygen, which explains why they resist corrosion. Other properties of the transition metals are unique.

Transition-metal cations are formed by the initial loss of ns electrons, and many metals can form cations in several oxidation states. The transition metals are less reactive than s block elements. This is due to their higher heats of sublimatiin , higher ionization energies and lesser hydration energies of their ions.

The transition metals are much less reactive than the Group I metals. The alkali metals react with water, oxygen and halogens while the transition metals either react very slowly or do not react at all. A classic example of this is the reaction with oxygen.

Typically the elements of the post-transition metals include any metal in groups 13, 14, and 15 which are aluminum, gallium, indium, tin, thallium, lead, and bismuth….Here is a list of post-transition metals in order of abundance in the Earth’s crust:

• Aluminum.
• Gallium.
• Lead.
• Tin.
• Thallium.
• Indium.
• Bismuth.

they are good conductors of heat and electricity. they can be hammered or bent into shape easily. they have high melting points (but mercury is a liquid at room temperature) they are usually hard and tough.

Transition Metal Ions. Transition metals belong to the d block, meaning that the d sublevel of electrons is in the process of being filled with up to ten electrons. A half-filled dsublevel ( d 5 ) is particularly stable, which is the result of an iron atom losing a third electron.

Properties of transition metals: Transition metals have high melting, high boiling points than metals in Groups 1 and 2. Most of the transition metals are harder and more brittle than metals in Groups 1 and 2.

These metals are hard which indicates the presence of covalent bonds. This happens because transition metals have unpaired d-electrons. The d-orbital which contains the unpaired electrons may overlap and form covalent bonds. Therefore, these transition metals are very hard.

What element has the most metallic character?

• franium (element with highest metallic character)
• caesium (next highest level of metallic character)
• sodium.
• copper.
• silver.
• iron.
• gold.
• aluminium.

The d–block occupies the large middle section of the periodic table flanked between s– and p– blocks in the periodic table. The d–orbitals of the penultimate energy level of atoms receive electrons giving rise to four rows of the transition metals, i.e., 3d, 4d, 5d and 6d.

Metallic character refers to the level of reactivity of a metal. Non-metallic character relates to the tendency to accept electrons during chemical reactions. Metallic tendency increases going down a group. Non-metallic tendency increases going from left to right across the periodic table.

Atomic radius is the distance from the atom’s nucleus to the outer edge of the electron cloud. In general, atomic radius decreases across a period and increases down a group.

> When we move across a period from right to left in the periodic table, the metallic character of elements decreases. This happens because atoms of elements across a period from right to left accept electrons more readily to fill their valence shell.

Metallic character increases down a group because the size of elements increases down a group due to increment in the shells. So the effective nuclear charge decreases down a group. Hence metallic character increases down a group.

Metallic character decreases as you move across a period in the periodic table from left to right. This occurs as atoms more readily accept electrons to fill a valence shell than lose them to remove the unfilled shell. Metallic character increases as you move down an element group in the periodic table.

Answer: In general, the atomic radius decreases as we move from left to right in a period with an increase in nuclear charge of the element. The atomic radius increases when we go down a group because of the addition of extra shell.

Answer. elements which have a tendency to gain electrons are known as non-metals. Hence, the non-metallic character increases across a period. As we move down the group, the non-metallic character decreases due to increase in the atomic size.

Of solid and liquid elements at normal temperature and pressure, the least metallic are those at upper right of the Periodic Table: carbon, phosphorus, sulfur, bromine and iodine. Carbon in some of its allotropic forms has one property in common with metals; it is a good conductor of electricity.

fluorine

The most active metals in the activity series are lithium, sodium, rubidium, potassium, cesium, calcium, strontium and barium. These elements belong to groups IA and IIA of the periodic table.

alkali metals

Properties of metals

• high melting points.
• good conductors of electricity.
• good conductors of heat.
• high density.
• malleable.
• ductile.

As calcium (Ca) is a group 2A element and rubidium (Rb) is a group 1A element. Hence, Rb being an alkali metal is more metallic in nature than calcium (alkaline earth metal).

The alkaline-earth metals tend to lose two electrons to form M 2+ ions (Be2+, Mg2+, Ca2+, and so on). These metals are less reactive than the neighboring alkali metal. Magnesium is less active than sodium; calcium is less active than potassium; and so on.

The metallic property depends on the ease of removal of electrons. Thus, as sodium has a higher tendency to lose electrons, it is more metallic in nature than magnesium.

Cs