Group 3 to 12 on the periodic table: Transition metals - Electronic configuration, physical and chemical properties
What are Transition Metals? The elements in the periodic table are often divided into four categories: (1) main group elements, (2) transition metals, (3) lanthanides, and (4) actinides. The main group elements include the active metals in the two columns on the extreme left of the periodic table and the metals, semimetals, and non metals in the six columns on the far right. The transition metals are the metallic elements that serve as a bridge, or transition, between the two sides of the table. The lanthanides and the actinides at the bottom of the table are sometimes known as the inner transition metals because they have atomic numbers that fall between the first and second elements in the last two rows of the transition metals. Electronic configuration Transition metals generally have an electronic configuration of (n-1)d 1-10 ns 1-2 . This indicates that the outermost S orbital can hold one or two electrons, while the penultimate d orbital (n-1)d can hold on...