Question

11. What are representative elements? Why are they so called?

Answer 1

Part-1: Representative elements:

The first two families (Groups I and II on the far left) and the final six families or groups (on the right) of the Periodic Table are known as representative elements.

Part-2: Why are they called representative elements:

• Representative elements are so named because they adhere to the general features of the group to which they belong.
• The representative elements of a group have identical electron configurations, with the same number of electrons in their valence shell.