Question

Which of the following statement cannot explain why elements in a group are placed together?

• A. They tend to have the same number of valence electrons
• B. They tend to have a similar oxidation number
• C. They tend to have the same electronegativities
• D. They tend to have the same chemical reactivity
• E. They tend to have the same charge when they form ions

Answer 1

The correct option is C They tend to have the same electronegativities

Elements in the same group of the periodic table have similar properties because their electronic configurations have the same number of electrons in the outermost shell. So, they share common oxidation number, same valence electrons and same charge on the ions, but in general, electronegativity increases on passing from left to right along a period, and decreases on descending a group.