Characteristics of d-block elements:
(i) They are all metals with high melting and boiling points.
(ii) The compounds of the elements are generally paramagnetic in nature.
(iii) They mostly form coloured ions, exhibit variable valence (oxidation states).
(iv) They are of tenly used as catalysts.
f-Block Elements
General electronic configuration: (n – 2) f1-14 (n -1) d0-1 ns2
They are known as inner transition elements because in the transition elements of d-block, the
electrons are filled in (n – 1) d sub-shell while in the inner transition elements of f-block the filling of
electrons takes place in (n – 2) f subshell, which happens to be one inner subshell. Characteristics of
f-Block elements:
(i) The two rows of elements at the bottom of the Periodic Table, called the Lanthanoids Ce (Z = 58) –
Lu (Z = 71) and Actinoids Th (Z = 90) – Lr (Z = 103).
(ii) These two series of elements are called Inner Transition Elements (f-Block Elements).
(iii) They are all metals. Within each series, the properties of the elements are quite similar.
(iv) Most of the elements pf the actinoid series are radio-active in nature.
• Metals
(i) Metals comprise more than 78% of all known elements and appear on the left side of the Periodic
Table.
(ii) Metals are solids at room temperature.
(iii) Metal usually have high melting and boiling points.
(iv) They are good conductors of heat and electricity.
(u) They are malleable and ductile.
• Non-metals
(i) Non-metals are located at the top right hand side of the Periodic Table.
(ii) Non-metals are usually solids or gases at low temperature with low melting and boiling points.
(iii) They are poor conductors of heat and electricity.
(iv) The non-metallic character increases as one goes from left to right across the Periodic
Table.
(v) Most non-metallic solids are brittle and are neither malleable nor ductile.
• Metalloids
The elements (e.g., silicon, germanium, arsenic, antimony and tellurium) show the characteristic, of
both metals and non-metals. These elements are also called semimetal.
• Noble Gases
– These are the elements present in group 18.
– Eash period ends with noble gas element.
– All the members are of gaseous nature and because of the presence of all the occupied filled
orbitals, they have very little tendency to take part in chemical combination.
– These are also called inert gases.
• Representative Elements
The elements of group 1 (alkali metals), group 2 (alkaline earth metals) and group 13 to 17 constitute
the representative elements. They are elements of s-block and p-block.
• Transition Elements
The transition elements include, all the d-block elements and they are present in the centre of the
periodic table between s and p-block elements.
• Inner Transition Elements
Lanthanoids (the fourteen elements after Lanthanum) and actinides (the fourteen elements after
actinium) are called inner transition elements. They are also called f-block elements.
The elements after uranium are also called transuranic elements.
• Periodic Trends in Properties of Elements
Trends in Physical Properties
Atomic Radii: It is defined as the distance from the centre of the nucleus to the outermost shell
containing the electrons. Depending upon whether an element is a non-metal or a metal, three
different types of atomic radii are used. These are:
(a) Covalent radius (b) Ionic Radius (c) van der Waals radius (d) Metallic radius.
(a) Covalent Radius: It is equal to half of the distance between the centres of the nuclei of two atoms
held together by a purely covalent single bond.
(b) Ionic Radius: It may be defined as the effictive distance from the nucleus of an ion upto which it
has an influence in the ionic bond.
(c) van der Waals Radius: Atoms of Noble gases are held together by weak van der Waals forces of
attraction. The van der Waals radius is half of the distance between the centre of nuclei of atoms of
noble gases.
(d) Metallic Radius: It is defined as half of the intemuclear distance between the two adjacent metal
ions in the metallic lattice.