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Group 7 the halogens

The elements in group 7 of the periodic table, on the right,
are called the halogens.
F

fluorine

Cl

chlorine

Br

bromine

I
At

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iodine
astatine

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What are the halogens?

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Why are they called the halogens?

Halogens are very reactive non metals.
They are all toxic or harmful
because they are so reactive.
Before antiseptics, iodine was
used to clean wounds as it is
harmful to all things, including
bacteria.
They are also never found free in nature because of their
reactivity they are found as compounds with metals.
These halogen-metal compounds are salts, which give
halogens their name halo-gen means salt-former.

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What is the electron structure of the halogens?

All halogens have seven electrons in their outer shell.
This means that:
fluorine
They can easily obtain a
2,7
full outer shell by gaining
one electron.
They all gain an electron
in reactions to form
negative ions with a -1
charge.
They have similar
chemical properties.

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chlorine
2,8,7

bromine
2,8,8,7

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How do halogen molecules exist?

All halogen atoms require one more electron to obtain a full
outer shell and become stable.
Each atom can achieve this by sharing one electron with
another atom to form a single covalent bond.

This means that all halogens exist as diatomic molecules:

F2, Cl2, Br2 and I2.

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What are the general properties of the halogens?

All the halogens are:
non-metals and so do not conduct electricity
brittle and crumbly when solid
poisonous and smelly.
They become darker in colour down the group:
is pale yellow
is green-yellow
is red-brown
is blue-black.
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What is the physical state of the halogens?

The melting and boiling points of the halogens increase
down the group, as the molecules become bigger.
Halogen

Relative
size

Melting
point (C)

Boiling
point (C)

State

-220

-118

gas

-101

-34

gas

-7

59

liquid

114

184

solid

What is the state of each halogen at room temperature?

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Melting and boiling points of halogens

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Halogen vapours
Bromine and iodine are not gaseous, but have low boiling
points. This means that they produce vapour at relatively
low temperature. They are volatile.

Bromine produces some

red-brown vapour, seen
here above the liquid
bromine in the jar.
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When iodine is heated gently, it

changes directly from a solid to a
gas without first becoming a liquid.
This is called sublimation.
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True or false?

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How do the halogens react with metals?

The reactivity of halogens means that they readily react with
most metals.
Halogens need to gain electrons for a full electron shell and
metals need to lose electrons for a full electron shell.
This means that halogens and metals react to form ionic
compounds.
These are metal halides, which are a type of salt.

nickel (II) chloride

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copper (II) chloride

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What are halides?

When halogens react with another substance, they become
negative ions, as they are gaining an extra electron.
When this happens, they are called halides.
The name of each of the halogens changes slightly once
it has reacted instead of ending with ine, they end
with -ide.
Halogen

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reaction

Halide

(F)

fluoride (F-)

(Cl)

chloride (Cl-)

(Br)

bromide (Br-)

(I)

iodide (I-)
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Halogens reacting with iron wool

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What is the order of reactivity?

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What is the reactivity of the halogens?

decrease in reactivity

The iron wool experiment shows that the reactivity of

halogens decreases as you go down the group.
Halogen

Reaction with iron wool

Iron wool burns and glows brightly.
Iron wool glows but less brightly than
with chlorine.
Iron wool has a very slight glow.

Astatine is the halogen that appears directly below iodine in

the periodic table.
How do you think astatine would react with iron wool?
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Equations of halogens and iron

When a halogen reacts with iron it forms an iron halide:
halogen

iron

iron (III) halide

The word and chemical equations for the reaction between

chlorine and iron are:
iron (III)
chlorine + iron

chloride
3Cl2 (g)

2Fe (s)

2FeCl3 (s)

What would the equation be for the reaction that forms

iron (III) bromide?

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bromine

iron

iron (III)
bromide

3Br2 (g)

2Fe (s)

2FeBr3 (s)
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The reactivity of alkali metals decreases going down the

group. What is the reason for this?
The atoms of each element get
F
larger going down the group.
This means that the outer shell gets
further away from the nucleus and
is shielded by more electron shells.
Cl
The further the outer shell is from
the positive attraction of the
nucleus, the harder it is to attract
another electron to complete the
outer shell.
Br
This is why the reactivity of the
halogens decreases going down
group 7.
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decrease in reactivity

How does electron structure affect reactivity?

How do the halogens react with non-metals?

Halogens also react with non-metals.
For example, halogens react with hydrogen to create
hydrogen halides.

hydrogen

Cl

chlorine

Cl

hydrogen chloride

Unlike their reactions with metals, halogens share electrons

with non-metals, and so react to form covalent compounds.
All hydrogen halides are gases. They dissolve easily in
water and become strong acids.
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Displacement of halogens
If a halogen is added to a solution of a compound containing a
less reactive halogen, it will react with the compound and form
a new one.
This is called displacement.
fluorine

sodium
chloride

F2 (aq)

2NaCl (aq)

sodium
fluoride

chlorine

2NaF (aq)

Cl2 (aq)

A more reactive halogen will always displace a less reactive

halide from its compounds in solution.

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Displacement of halogens
Why will a halogen always displace a less reactive halogen?

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Displacement theory
If a metal halide is mixed with a more reactive halogen,
the extra electron will be transferred from the less reactive
to the more reactive halogen.

--

chlorine
chloride

sodium
Na

Cl

fluorine
fluoride

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Displacement reactions of halogens

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Displacement reactions: summary

The reactions between solutions of halogens and metal
halides (salts) can be summarised in a table:
salt (aq) potassium
chloride
halogen
chlorine
bromine

no reaction

iodine

no reaction

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potassium
bromide

potassium
iodide

2KCl + Br2

2KCl + I2
2KBr + I2

no reaction

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Is there a displacement reaction?

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Reactions of halogens: summary

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What are the uses of halogens?

How many everyday uses of halogens can you see below?

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What are the uses of halogens?

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What are the uses of halogens?

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Glossary
diatomic Molecules that exist as two atoms covalently
bonded together.

displacement The reaction when a more reactive

halogen reacts with a compound containing a less reactive

halogen.
halide The name of a halogen when it has reacted with
another substance and gained a full outer electron shell.
halogen An element that belongs to group 7 of the
periodic table.
hydrogen halide A compound formed from the reaction
between hydrogen and a halogen.
metal halide A compound formed from the reaction
between a metal and a halogen.
sublime To change from a solid to a gas without first
becoming a liquid.
volatile A substance that evaporates or produces vapour
at relatively low temperatures.
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Anagrams

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Multiple-choice quiz

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