Allotropy of Group 16 Elements
Allotropy refers to the different forms of elements which have different physical properties but similar chemical properties. The allotropes for Group 16 Elements are discussed below:
- Dioxygen and ozone are two forms of oxygen.
- Sulphur comes in yellow ortho-rhombic, α and β monoclinic forms.
- There are eight allotropes of selenium, three of which are red monoclinic forms with Se8 rings. The thermodynamically stable form of selenium is grey hexagonal metallic selenium with polymeric helical chains. Amorphous black selenium is the most prevalent form of the element. The only selenium allotrope that conducts electricity is grey selenium.
- There is just one crystalline form of tellurium, which has a chain structure similar to grey selenium.
- Polonium has 33 isotopes and all exhibit radioactivity.
Group 16 Elements
Group 16 Elements refer to those elements which are arranged in the 16th group of the Modern Periodic Table. Group 16 accommodates five elements in total from the second to sixth period. If we carefully observe the periodic table, we find that in the case of Group 16 Elements, the last electrons enter the p-orbital and hence the Group 16 Elements are also called p-block elements. Also, Group 16 is located on the left side of the periodic table. Group 16 Elements are primarily non-metal in nature. The p-block extends from Group 13 to Group 18. The p-block does not include helium, which is found at the top of column 8A. The p orbital can only store six electrons, which is why the p-block has six columns. The p-block is the only block that contains all three categories of elements: metals, nonmetals, and metalloids, and it has the greatest diversity of elements. In this article, we will learn about the Group 16 Elements, their electronic configuration and properties in detail.