Members of group 14 of the periodic table (14th vertical column) are summarised as carbon group consisting of carbon (C), silicon (Si), germanium (Ge), tin (Sn) and lead (Pb).
The
Carbon Group
Members of group 14 of the periodic table (14th vertical column)
are summarised as carbon group consisting of carbon (C), silicon (Si),
germanium (Ge), tin (Sn) and lead (Pb) (Figure 5.1).
Group 14 elements have four valence shell electrons and
therefore tend to form covalent compounds. Never-theless, with increasing mass
and atomic radius, the elements show increasingly more metallic characteristics
and have lower melting and boiling points. Elements within this group show a
graduation from nonmetallic elements (C) to elements that are classified as
metals (Pb). Silicon is generally seen as nonmetallic, whereas germanium is
metallic. Nevertheless, this classification is not definite. Silicon and
germanium both form covalent diamond-type structures in the solid state, but
their electrical behaviour indicates more a metallic behaviour. Therefore,
silicon and germanium are classified as metalloids (see Chapter 4).
Carbon is the essential element to life on earth, and the
chemistry related to carbon is classified as organic chemistry and we will
therefore not discuss it any further in this book. Organometallic chemistry
relates to the interaction of carbon compounds with metals, and the basic concepts
will be discussed in Chapter 8.
Tin and lead have been under investigation for use as anticancer
and antimicrobial agents, but so far with limited success. This chapter will
discuss the pharmaceutical applications of silicon- and germanium-based drugs.
Related Topics
TH 2019 - 2024 pharmacy180.com; Developed by Therithal info.