Periodic Table Families

BCNO Group

The BCNO family is found on the right side of the Periodic Table between the transition elements (Group 3-12) and the halogens (Group 17). The BCNO family is a very large family with 25 members. Some of the more common members of this family include carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, aluminum, silicon, sulfur, arsenic, tin, and lead. The BCNO family is sometimes divided into two or even four separate families. This is by far the most diverse family of elements.

The BCNO family is given its name because of the symbols of the lightest elements in each column of the family: boron (B), carbon (C), nitrogen (N), and oxygen (O). The members of this family are metals, nonmetals, or metalloids. Some members of this family are gases at room temperature (nitrogen and oxygen), but most are solids. They are reactive but are selective with which elements they will bond. Most will bond with oxygen. Oxygen will even bond with itself. There are no hard and fast rules that fit all the elements of this family except that the members of each column tend to bond with other elements in a similar fashion.