Question

What are the characteristics of group \[4\] elements?

Answer 1

Hint: These are also called the titanium family. The group has only \[4\] elements. Rutherfordium (Rf) is the only synthetic element all the other three are naturally occurring. All the characteristics of this group deal with only the naturally occurring elements as the chemistry of rutherfordium are not established.

Complete answer:
There are \[4\] elements present in the group \[4\] which are titanium (Ti), zirconium (Zr), hafnium (Hf), and rutherfordium (Rf). These are known as transition elements. This group is also called the titanium group or the titanium family. They are present in the d-block of the periodic table. The chemistry of the element rutherfordium (Rf) has not been established much. And so the characteristics of this group deals with only three elements: titanium (Ti), zirconium (Zr), hafnium (Hf).
Some of the other characteristics of group \[4\] are:
The first three elements of this group are titanium (Ti), zirconium (Zr), and hafnium (Hf) occur naturally. Whereas the last element rutherfordium (Rf) has been synthesized in the laboratory. And none of its isotopes have been found occurring in nature. The group \[4\] elements mainly have \[ + 4\] oxidation state which is mainly due to the loss of all four \[n{s^2}\left( {n - 1} \right){d^2}\;\] valence electrons. They have a high affinity for oxygen. They tend to form various compounds. They are resistant to concentrated alkalis, but halogens react with them to form tetrahalides. The chemical properties of zirconium (Zr) and hafnium (Hf) are very much similar; they only differ in physical properties. All these elements are silvery refractory metals. They are better conductors of heat and electricity. They have high melting and boiling points.

Note:
This group itself does not have a trivial name the transition metals; this name is of the entire d-block elements. They have several applications. The elements of this group are least toxic even to humans. Only zirconium is one whose powder can irritate the eyes.