Academic Chemistry
Section 8.1 Main Group Elements
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Date__________________________
Study Guide
From the following list of elements, select the one that best fits each of the descriptions below.
aluminum
boron
calcium
fluorine
iodine
magnesium
oxygen
nitrogen
phosphorus
potassium
tin
sulfur
____Oxygen_________ 1. The most abundant element on Earth.
____Iodine___________ 2. Needed for proper functioning of the thyroid gland.
___Potassium_________ 3. Reacts violently with water.
_____Tin____________ 4. Used to make alloys such as bronze, solder, and pewter.
___Phosphorus_______ 5. A group 15 element used in making matches.
___Calcium__________ 6. An important element in bones and teeth.
_____Sulfur__________ 7. Extracted from underground mines with hot water.
_____Fluorine________ 8. Its compounds help prevent tooth decay.
____Magnesium_______ 9. Its atoms are found at the center of chlorophyll molecules.
____Aluminum_______ 10. The most abundant metallic element in Earth’s crust.
_____Boron__________ 11. Used in the production of water softeners and certain types of
glass.
____Nitrogen_________ 12. Obtained from liquid air by fractional distillation.
Answer the following questions.
13. In general, how does atomic radius change across a period from left to right?
It decreases
14. How does the size of a metallic atom change when it loses electrons to become a cation?
It becomes smaller
15. How does the size of a metallic atom change when it gains electrons to become a anion?
It becomes larger
Compare each of the following pairs of elements, atoms, or ions by underlining the correct
word in the pair.
16. Cesium is more/less active than sodium
17. Sodium is more/less active than magnesium
18. An aluminum ion has a larger/smaller radius than a magnesium ion.
19. An aluminum ion has a larger/smaller radius than a gallium ion.
20. At atom of fluorine has a larger/smaller radius than does a atom or iodine.
21. Sulfur is more/less active than selenium.
22. Antimony is more/less metallic than arsenic.
23. A halogen is more/less likely to occur in the free state than are members of the nitrogen
family.
24. An atom of scandium is larger/smaller than an atom of titanium.
Write or complete the chemical equations for each of the following chemical reactions:
25. Magnesium metal reacting with oxygen.
2 Mg + O2  2 MgO
26. Carbon reacting with oxygen.
C + O2  CO2
27.
NaF(s)  Na+(aq) + F-(aq)
28.
2H2O2  2H2O + O2
29.
2KClO3  2KCl(s) + 3O2(g)
30.
Ca5(PO4)3OH + F-  Ca5(PO4)3F(s) + OH-(aq)
31.
4P(white)(s) + 5O2(g)  P4O10(s) + heat