22.6+The+Other+Group+VIA+Elements+(S,+Se,+Te,+and+Po)

=22.6 The Other Group VIA Elements: S, Se, Te, Po= There are five elements that make up Group VIA on the periodic table. These elements include: oxygen (O), sulfur (S), selenium (Se), tellurium (Te), and polonium (Po). Oxygen has many properties that are unique to it, but it does have some general characteristics that are similar to the other Group VIA elements. Then, polonium also varies from sulfur, selenium, and tellurium for general trends due the fact that polonium is considered a metal according to the periodic table.

__**Group VIA General Characteristics**__

 * = Property ||= O ||= S ||= S e ||= Te ||
 * = **Atomic Radius (****Å****)** ||= 0.73 ||= 1.04 ||= 1.17 ||= 1.43 ||
 * = **X2- Ionic Radius (****Å****)** ||= 1.40 ||= 1.84 ||= 1.98 ||= 2.21 ||
 * = **First Ionization Energy (kJ/mol)** ||= 1314 ||= 1000 ||= 941 ||= 869

||
 * = **Electron Affinity (kJ/mol)** ||= -141 ||= -200 ||= -195 ||= -190 ||
 * = **Electronegativity** ||= 3.5 ||= 2.5 ||= 2.4 ||= 2.1 ||
 * = **X – X single-bond Enthalpy (kJ/mol)** ||= 146 ||= 266 ||= 172 ||= 126 ||
 * = **Reduction potential to H2X in**

**acidic soluti**

**on (V)** ||= 1.23 ||= 0.14 ||= -0.40 ||= -0.72

|| As seen in the provided table above, which in found on page 949 in the Brown LeMay book, these elements follow the general trends of the periodic table, suc

h as the radius' increase as you move down the periodic table. Also, the electronegativity values decrease as the radius increases and the ionization energies decrease moving downward on the periodic table, as it does in relation to the other elements in the periodic table.

All elements want to achieve a noble-gas electron configuration, and this is no different for these Group VIA elements. The electron configuration that these elements typically may be found with is: //ns// 2 //np// 4. For this configuration the elements are able to add to electrons to achieve the noble gas configuration. This results in these elements having an oxidation state of -2. Typically this group of elements can be found with an oxidation state of +6 though, besides oxygen, because they are able to expand their valence electron shells. Examples of the elements with an oxidation state of +6 are: SF 6, SeF 6 , and TeF 6. All of these examples show how Group VIA elements are able to covalently bond to other nonmetal elements. The above table was taken from the Zumdahl textbook, page 960.
 * = Element ||= Electronegativity ||= Radius of X2- (pm) ||= Source ||= Method of Preparation ||
 * = **Oxygen** ||= 3.5 ||= 140 ||= Air ||= Distillation from liquid air ||
 * = **Sulfur** ||= 2.5 ||= 184 ||= Sulfur deposits ||= Melted with hot water and pumped to the surface ||
 * = **Selenium** ||= 2.4 ||= 198 ||= Impurity in sulfide ores ||= Reduction of H2SeO4 and SO2 ||
 * = **Tellurium** ||= 2.1 ||= 221 ||= Nagyagite (mixed sulfide and telluride) ||= Reduction of ore with SO2 ||
 * = **Polonium** ||= 2.0 ||= 230 ||= Pitchblende ||=  ||

__Properties:__ Elemental sulfur has a yellow color to it. It is tasteless as well as odorless and it is not soluble in water. Typically sulfur is found as S 8 and as a solid, called rhombic sulfur. When sulfur is heated, it has a color change to a dark reddish brown color. Sulfur is able to react and form bonds with both metals and nonmetals. This is a interesting and useful property since sulfur can have various oxidation states, and therefore form many compounds.
 * __Sulfur__**

__Sulfides:__ //Sulfides// contain a S 2- form on sulfur. In this form, sulfur forms compounds with elements that are less electronegative than it is itself. Then, when a compound is form with an S 2 2- ion, a sulfur ore is formed, and this form is known as //pyrites//.

__Oxides, Oxyacids, and Oxyanions of Sulfur:__ Oxides of sulfur are formed when sulfur is combusted in the air. When sulfur dioxide is formed, then is a poisonous and it contains a choking odor. Besides this fact though, sulfur dioxide is used many times to preserve foods. When sulfur dioxide is dissolved in water, it forms sulfurous acid, H 2 SO 3, but when sulfur trioxide reacts with water, it produces sulfuric acid, H 2 SO 4 , which is used many times as a dehydrating agent because it does not react with oxygen, nitrogen or carbon dioxide.

__Places Found and Uses of Sulfur:__ Sulfur can commonly be found in underground deposits where hot water and pressure are used to extract the sulfur from the ground. Sulfur can be found in sulfides and sulfate minerals, as well as be found in coal and petroleum. Unfortunately with coal and petroleum, sulfur is a main contributor to pollution due to the sulfur oxides that are found in these products. It is interesting that the United States produced about 40 million tons of sulfuric acid each year, making this chemical that most produced chemical in the United States.

[|Sulfur Facts]

Compared to sulfur, selenium and tellurium are not found in an abundance. Selenium and tellurium both can be found in rare minerals (Cu 2 Se, PbSe, Cu 2 Te, and PbTe), but also sometimes in sulfide ores of copper, iron, nickel and lead. Both of these elements are most stably found in crystalline substances that have helical chains of atoms. Also, selenium and tellurium are both semiconductors, some they are being applied to the electronics industry.
 * __Selenium and Tellurium__**

There have been found multiple uses for selenium in recent years. Selenium has a unique characteristic to it that it has poor electrical conductivity in the dark, but its conductivity increases when it is exposed to light. From this unique property that selenium has, it has been used in photocopiers many times because when light is exposed in a photocopier, black powder sticks to the areas of a paper that are charged, from the selenium on a belt. Secondly, selenium was previously thought to cause cancer, but now has been found to protect people from cancer when they have a pretty high intake of selenium if they live in an area that has high levels of selenium. A few common uses of tellurium is to help make copper and stainless steal. When tellurium is added to these man-made metals, it helps make the metals more workable as well as help prevent them from corroding down the line of time.



More information and details on Selenium and Tellurium: [|Medical Use of Selenium] [|Tellurium]

Polonium The element polonium was discovered by Polish chemists by the names of Marie and Pierre Curie in 1898. Polonium's atomic number is 84 and atomic mass is 208.98 grams. Compared to the other Group VIA elements, polonium is the odd ball out. Polonium is a metal that has 27 isotopes, but it does not have any stable isotopes. It is a very radioactive material and also very toxic. Another name for this element is Radium X. This name comes from and relates to the fact that polonium is found in very small amounts in radium-containing materials. Very interestingly, polonium is said to be a chemical used in tobacco and possibly the reason for cancer in smokers.

For more information on Polonium: [|Polonium Element Facts]


 * __Sources__**
 * "It's Elemental - The Element Sulfur." //Science Education at Jefferson Lab//. Web. 21 Mar. 2011. <[]>.
 * LeMay, Jr., H. Eugene, Bruce E. Bursten, and Catherine J. Murphy. "22.6 The Other Group 6A Elements: S, Se, Te, and Po." //Chemistry: The Central Science//. By Theodore L. Brown. Eleventh ed. Upper Saddle River: Pearson Education, 2009. 948-52. Print.
 * "Polonium." //Periodic Table of Elements and Chemistry//. Web. 21 Mar. 2011. <[]>.
 * "Selenium." //Medline Plus//. 4 Jan. 2011. Web. 21 Mar. 2011. <[]>.
 * "Tellurium." //Periodic Table of Elements and Chemistry//. Web. 21 Mar. 2011. <[]>.
 * Zumdahl, Steven S., and Susan A. Zumdahl. "The Group 6A Elements" and "The Chemistry of Sulfur." //Chemistry//. Sixth ed. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2003. 959-67. Print.