Transition Elements

Transition Elements

Are 'typical metals' - have properties expected off a proper metal

• Very good conductors of heat and electricity
• Very dense, strong and shiny
• Much less reactive than Group 1 - don't react very much with oxygen or water
• Denser, stronger and harder that Group 1
• Have much higher melting and boiling points (except for mercury - liquid at room temp) than Group 1

Transition metals often have more than one ion; e.g. Fe2+ and Fe3+, Cu+ and Cu2+, Cr2+ and Cr3+ and Cr6+

The different ions usually form different coloured compounds; Fe2+ usually give green compounds and Fe3+ usually form…