Occurrence of Group 16 Elements
- The element oxygen is the most prevalent in nature. As silicates and other compounds such as carbonates, oxides, and sulphates, it contributes 20.946 percent of the volume of air and 46.6 percent of the earth’s crust by mass.
- The vast majority of oxygen in the air is produced by photosynthesis in plants. It can also be present in the form of ozone.
- Sulphur is the sixteenth most common element on the planet. Sulphur is present in ore in its mixed condition.
- Sulphate ores include gypsum CaSO4.2H2O, Epsom salt MgSO4.7H2O, and barytes BaSO4.
- Sulphide ores include galena (PbS), zinc blende (ZnS), and copper pyrites (CuFeS2).
- Sulphur may also be present in mustard, eggs, seeds, onion, wool, garlic, and hair, among other biological compounds.
- Sulphide ores contain metal selenides and tellurides of selenium and tellurium.
- Selenium occurs in Earth’s Crust in traces 90 parts per Billion.
- Tellurium occurs in 0.001 parts per million.
- Polonium is a radioactive element that occurs in nature.
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.