Boron Family

The boron group is the series of elements in group 13 (IUPAC style) in the periodic table. The
boron group consists ofboron (B), aluminium (Al), gallium (Ga), indium (In), thallium (Tl),
and ununtrium (Uut).

Like other groups, the members of this family show patterns in its electron configuration,
especially the outermost shells resulting in trends in chemical behavior:

Z Element No. of electrons/shell

5 boron 2, 3

1
aluminium 2, 8, 3
3

3
gallium 2, 8, 18, 3
1

4
indium 2, 8, 18, 18, 3
9

8
thallium 2, 8, 18, 32, 18, 3
1

The group has previously also been referred to as the earth metals and the triels, from the
Latin tri, three, stemming from the naming convention of this group as Group IIIB. These
elements are characterized by having three electrons in their outer energy levels (valence
layers).

fact, a single group can contain metals, nonmetals, and metalloids and have members that are
solids, liquids, and gases.

• The elements in Group 13 are all metals except boron, which is a brittle, black metalloid.
 • Cookware made with boron can be moved directly from the refrigerator into the oven
without cracking

Boron
Boron is considered a metalloid, and the rest are considered metals of the poor metals groups.
Boron occurs sparsely probably because of disruption of its nucleus by bombardment with
subatomic particles produced from natural radioactivity. Aluminium occurs widely on earth and
in fact, it is the third most abundant element in the Earth's crust (7.4%).

Aluminum
It has the symbol Al and its atomic number is 13. It is not soluble in water under normal
circumstances. Aluminium is the most abundant metal in the Earth's crust, and the third most
abundant element, after oxygen and silicon. It makes up about 8% by weight of the Earth's solid
surface.

. Gallium
Elemental gallium does not occur in nature, but as the gallium(III) salt in trace amounts
in bauxite and zinc ores. A soft silvery metallic poor metal, elemental gallium is a brittle solid at
low temperatures. As it liquefies slightly above room temperature, it will melt in the hand.

Indium
Indium in nature consists of two primordial nuclides. One unusual property of indium (shared
only with rhenium) is that although it possesses a stable isotope, its most common
(abundant)isotope (95.7%) is slightly and measurably radioactive. This rare, very soft, malleable
and easily fusible post-transition metal is chemically similar to aluminium. Indium

Thallium
symbol Tl and atomic number 81. This soft gray poor metal resembles tin but discolors when
exposed to air. Approximately 60–70% of thallium production is used in the electronics industry,
and the rest is used in the pharmaceutical industry and in glass manufacturing.[2] It is also used
in infrared detectors