Comparative Chemistry of Se, Te, And Po

II.
COMPARATIVE CHEMISTY OF SELENIUM, TELERIUM AND POLONIUM (GROUP 16)
The oxygen family, also called the chalcogens, consists of the elements found in Group 16 of the periodic
table and is considered among the main group elements. It consists of the
elements oxygen, sulfur, selenium, tellurium and polonium. These can be found in nature in both free
and combined states. The group 16 elements are intimately related to life. We need oxygen all the time
throughout our lives. Did you know that sulfur is also one of the essential elements of life? It is
responsible for some of the protein structures in all living organisms. Many industries utilize sulfur, but
emission of sulfur compounds is often seen more as a problem than the natural phenomenon. The
metallic properties of Group 16 elements increase as the atomic number increases. The element
polonium has no stable isotopes, and the isotope with mass number 209 has the longest half life of 103
years.
Properties and Periodic Trends
Properties of oxygen are very different from those of other elements of the group, but they all have 2
elections in the outer s orbital, and 4 electrons in the p orbitals, usually written as s2p4.
The electron configurations for each element are given below:
• Oxygen: 1s2 2s2 2p4
• Sulfur: 1s2 2s2p6 3s2p4
• Selenium: 1s2 2s2p6 3s2p6d10 4s2p4
• Tellurium: 1s2 2s2p6 3s2p6d10 4s2p6d10 5s2p4
• Polonium: 1s2 2s2p6 3s2p6d10 4s2p6d10f14 5s2p6d10 6s2p4
Example Group16 Polonium
Polonium can be written as [Xe] 6s2 4f14 5d10 6p4
The trends of the properties in this group are interesting. Knowing the trend allows us to predict their
reactions with other elements. Most trends are true for all groups of elements, and the group trends are
due mostly to the size of the atoms and number of electrons per atom. The trends are described below:
1. The metallic properties increase in the order oxygen, sulfur, selenium, tellurium, or polonium.
Polonium is essentially a metal. It was discovered by M. Curie, who named it after her native
country Poland.
2. Electronegativity, ionization energy (or ionization potential IP), and electron affinity decrease for
the group as atomic weight increases.
3. The atomic radii and melting points increase.

4. Oxygen differs from sulfur in chemical properties due to its small size. The differences
between OO and SS are more than the differences between other members.
Selenium and tellurium are chemically similar to sulfur, hence they are usually found as minor
contaminants in metal sulfide ores and are typically recovered as by-products. Even so, they are as
abundant in Earth’s crust as silver, palladium, and gold. One of the best sources of selenium and
tellurium is the “slime” deposited during the electrolytic purification of copper. Both of these elements
are notorious for the vile odors of many of their compounds. For example, when the body absorbs even
trace amounts of tellurium, dimethyltellurium [(CH3)2Te] is produced and slowly released in the breath
and perspiration, resulting in an intense garlic-like smell that is commonly called “tellurium breath.”
Metallic character increases down the group, with tellurium classified as a metalloid and polonium as a
metal.
Melting point, boiling point, density, atomic radius, and ionic radius all increase down the group.
Ionization energy decreases down the group.
2
Electron configurations and oxidation states
The most common oxidation state is -2; however, sulfur can also exist at a +4 and +6 state, and +2, +4,
and +6 oxidation states are possible for Se, Te, and Po.
Chalcogens are two electrons short of a filled valence shell. Thus in reactions with metals, they tend to
acquire two additional electrons to form compounds in the −2 oxidation state (the most common
oxidation state). This tendency is greatest for oxygen, the chalcogen with the highest electronegativity.
The heavier, less electronegative chalcogens can lose either four np electrons or four np and two ns
electrons to form compounds in the +4 and +6 oxidation state, respectively because of their
ns2np4 electron configurations, as shown in Tables 2.
Sulfur can also exist at a +4 and +6 state, and +2, +4, and +6 oxidation states are possible for Se, Te, and
Po
Selenium has similar properties to sulphur because of shielding effects. Only polonium is metallic,
forming either the hydrated Po2+ or Po4+ ion in aqueous solution, depending on conditions
REFERENCES
1. The Chemistry of Oxygen and Sulphur, Bodner Research Web. Online extracted on 05/03/2024
https://chemed.chem.purdue.edu/genchem/topicreview/bp/ch10/group6.php
2. The other Group 16 elements. Libretext. Extracted online on 21/03/2024
https://chem.libretexts.org/Bookshelves/General_Chemistry/Map%3A_Chemistry_-
_The_Central_Science_(Brown_et_al.)/22%3A_Chemistry_of_the_Nonmetals/22.06%3A_The_Other_Gr
oup_16_Elements-_S_Se_Te_and_Po

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II.

COMPARATIVE CHEMISTY OF SELENIUM, TELERIUM AND POLONIUM (GROUP 16)

Properties and Periodic Trends

The electron configurations for each element are given below:

• Oxygen: 1s2 2s2 2p4

• Sulfur: 1s2 2s2p6 3s2p4

• Selenium: 1s2 2s2p6 3s2p6d10 4s2p4

• Tellurium: 1s2 2s2p6 3s2p6d10 4s2p6d10 5s2p4

• Polonium: 1s2 2s2p6 3s2p6d10 4s2p6d10f14 5s2p6d10 6s2p4

Example Group16 Polonium

Polonium can be written as [Xe] 6s2 4f14 5d10 6p4

3. The atomic radii and melting points increase.

Electron configurations and oxidation states

2. The other Group 16 elements. Libretext. Extracted online on 21/03/2024

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