Further Down the Periodic Table

All the discussion so far has concentrated on trying to explain the chemical bonds in molecules formed from the atoms H through F, the very “top” of the periodic table. It should be the case that the same or similar arguments will apply to molecules containing atoms from “lower down” the table, since we have concentrated on explanations involving the physical laws underlying the processes occurring on bonding, rather than rules involving the manipulation of orbitals. However, there are important differences between the electronic structures of atoms in the progression down any column of the periodic table. These differences are principally due to the fact that as the atomic number increases going down a column the valence electrons are less tightly bound, and this has some important effects on their valence properties, since the valence of an atom is determined by how easy it is to polarise and share its electrons.