The chalcogens (pronunciation: ˈkal-kə-jəns) are the chemical elements in group 16 (old-style: VIB or VIA) of the periodic table. This group is also known as the oxygen family. It consists of the elements oxygen (O), sulfur (S), selenium (Se), tellurium (Te), the radioactive element polonium (Po), and the synthetic element ununhexium (Uuh).
The name means "ore former" from the Greek chalcos = ore and -gen = formation.
Although all group 16 elemen...
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The chalcogens (pronunciation: ˈkal-kə-jəns) are the chemical elements in group 16 (old-style: VIB or VIA) of the periodic table. This group is also known as the oxygen family. It consists of the elements oxygen (O), sulfur (S), selenium (Se), tellurium (Te), the radioactive element polonium (Po), and the synthetic element ununhexium (Uuh).
The name means "ore former" from the Greek chalcos = ore and -gen = formation.
Although all group 16 elements of the periodic table are defined as chalcogens, the term is more commonly reserved for sulfides, selenides, and tellurides, rather than oxides. The compounds of the heavier chalcogens (particularly the sulfides, selenides, and tellurides) are collectively known as chalcogenides. Oxides from a lighter chalcogen, are usually not indicated as chalcogenides.
Members of this group show similar patterns in their electron configuration, especially the outermost shells, resulting in similar trends in chemical behavior:
Oxygen and sulfur are...
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