The Nonmetallic Elements and Some of Their Compounds

In the first section of this chapter some of the properties of the elements hydrogen, carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, arsenic, antimony, bismuth, oxygen, sulfur, selenium, tellurium, fluorine, chlorine, bromine, and iodine are described. The following sections are devoted to some of their compounds with one another, especially the single-bonded normal-valence compounds. Compounds of nonmetals with oxygen are discussed in the following chapter. 

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If you were asked to produce at ordinary temperatures a sample consisting of the free atoms of an element, your only choice would be a Group 18 element, one of the noble gases. All the other elements occur with their atoms linked together in some way. The nonmetallic elements exist as molecules, such as the diatomic species H2, N2, 02, F2, Cl2, Br2, and I2, and the polyatomic species P4 and S8. Elements near the border between metals and nonmetals can form solids with an extended network of atoms, such as the graphite or diamond forms of carbon and crystalline silicon. There are also countless examples of diatomic, polyatomic, and extended network compounds between different nonmetallic elements, including the millions of organic compounds. 

Elements respond to these driving forces in ways that depend on their chemical characteristics. Volatile molecules formed by nonmetallic elements enter the atmosphere from volcanic emissions, as waste products of life, and from human energy use and industry. Some volatile compounds are rapidly oxidized by photochemical processes, and some are quickly washed out by dissolving in rainfall. Elements (especially metallic ones) that do not form volatile compounds under normal conditions are confined to the solid and liquid parts of the environment. Soluble ions (e.g. Na+, Cl-) are removed from rocks in weathering processes and end up in sea water. Other elements (e.g. Al,... 

Many ionic componnds are binary compounds, or compounds formed from just two elements. For binary componnds the first element named is the metal cation, followed by the nonmetallic anion. Thus NaCl is sodium chloride. The anion is named by taking the first part of the element name (chlorine) and adding -ide. Potassium bromide (KBr), zinc iodide (Znl2), and aluminum oxide (AI2O3) are also binary componnds. Table 2.2 shows the -ide nomenclature of some common monatomic anions according to their positions in the periodic table. 

In the remainder of this chapter, we look at the chemistry of the nonmetals. Some questions we will address are these What are the chemical and physical properties of the more important nonmetallic elements What are some of the commercial uses of these substances and their compounds ... 

Polymers include the familiar plastic and rubber materials. Many of them are organic compounds that are chemically based on carbon, hydrogen, and other nonmetallic elements (i.e., O, N, and Si). Furthermore, they have very large molecular structures, often chainlike in nature, that often have a backbone of carbon atoms. Some common and familiar polymers are polyethylene (PE), nylon, poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC), polycarbonate (PC), polystyrene (PS), and silicone rubber. These materials typically have low densities (Figure 1.4), whereas their mechanical characteristics are generally dissimilar to those of the metallic and ceramic materials—they are not as stiff or strong as these... 

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