Chemical Properties of elements of groups 16, 17 and 18

The chemical behaviour of the three families follows directly from their valence shell configurations — $\mathrm{ns^2np^4}$, $\mathrm{ns^2np^5}$ and $\mathrm{ns^2np^6}$. This section first works out the oxidation states each family can show, and then surveys their reactivity towa …