Chemical properties of the elements of the groups 13,14 and 15

Oxidation state, the type of bonding formed, and reactivity towards air, water and halogens are the primary chemical properties that describe how the elements of groups 13, 14 and 15 behave. The sections below examine each of these chemical properties in turn: the oxidation states available to each group and the inert-pair effect that governs their relative stability (9.4.1); the shift from covalent to ionic bonding down each group (9.4.2); and the characteristi …