What is halogen? Why are they called very active nonmetals?

What is halogen? Why are they called very active nonmetals?

In the periodic table, we come across many types of elements that usually exhibit a lot other types of properties as well.  Ingeneral all the elements in the periodic table are assigned names in accordance with the characteristics that are exhibited by them. The halogens are said to the one of the six nonmetallic elements that periodic table that are there in the Group 17 (Group VIa) of the periodic table.

The six primary type of halogens are fluorine (F), chlorine (Cl), bromine (Br), iodine (I), astatine (At), and Tennessee (Its).

The term halogens that are given to these elements are derived from the Greek roots hall- (“salt”) and -gen (“to produce”). This is also becausethese all elements are able to produce sodium salts of similar properties.

Because of their great reactivity, the free halogen elements cannot be found in nature. When it comes to its combined form, fluorine is the most abundant of the halogens in Earth’s crust. The percentages of the halogens in the igneous rocks of Earth’s crust are 0.06 fluorine, 0.00016 bromine, 0.031 chlorine, and 0.00003 iodine. Astatine and Tennessee do not occur in nature, because they consist of only short-lived radioactive isotopes.

The halogens as an element show great resemblances to one another in their general chemical behavior and they have properties that have resemblance to one another in the way that they are acting in a definite situation as well. But as we move in the table for the different elements in the halogen family, we will notice a progressive change in properties from fluorine through chlorine, bromine, and iodine to astatine. The difference between two successive elements that can be most profound here is in respect to fluorine and chlorine. Fluorine is considered to be the most reactive of the halogens also in the case of all the all elements as well. There are few very interesting properties of the halogens as well that will help us to set these set of elements apart.

Chlorine is the best known of the halogen elements that are found in the periodic table. The free element is the one that will be widely used as a water-purification agent.This is one element that used as a cleansing agent. Table salts, sodium chloride this considered as one of the most familiar chemical compounds that will beable have abetter. Fluorides are to be known chiefly for their addition to public water thatsupplies to prevent tooth decay.But thereis always organic fluorides are also used as refrigerants and lubricants in the present. Iodine is one of most familiar way that have antiseptic, and bromine that is used chiefly to prepare bromine compounds. There will be many other process as well that will be quite helpful for the behavior as well. In the past there are different other elements that are being prepared so that they will be able to have a better representation as well.

Physical Properties

There are different properties that are being displayed by the halogens. These are the ones that will help us distinguish them from the other elements in the periodic table:

• The group of halogens isconsidered as the only periodic table group that contains elements in all three familiar states of matter. The state of these metals can be changed in accordance with the temperature and the pressure that is applied on them
• Fluorine (F) is one of thepale yellowgases, however, chlorine id=s green in color and bromine is a red colouredliquid.
• Iodine (I) is a black solid and it can change its clout and state when there is a variation of temperature that is to be applied to them
• The halogens all have a strong and that is also the reason that they are easily distingushable from the other elements as well.
• The halogen elements are considered to beextremely toxic and that is also the reason that the humans are always warned to use these elements in any kind of chemical reactions with outmost care.
• The halogens are often considered as poor conductors of heat and electricity. They are often used in places where there is a need to block the flow of electricity from one end to another.
• The halogens are known to have low melting and boiling points. They are often considered as very volatile in nature and that is the reason why they are often kept at isolated states in most of the chemical process.

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