Elements of Group 13 are namely, boron, aluminium, gallium, indium and, thallium. While studying the alkali and alkaline earth metals, you have seen that all the elements of these two groups are highly reactive metals and the first element of each group shows some differences from the rest. In Group 13, the differences between the first element and the remaining elements become so pronounced that the first member of the group, i.e. boron is a non metal whereas the rest of the elements are distinctly metallic in nature. In a way, this is the first group of the periodic table in which you observe a marked change in the nature of the elements down the group.

Objectives

• Describe the occurrence extraction and uses of group 13 elements,
• Explain the trends in the properties of the elements of this group,
• Give reasons for the electron deficiency encountered in compounds of boron and aluminium,
• Describe the chemistry of hydrides halides and oxides of boron and aluminium,
• Elucidate the structures of hydrides of boron and aluminium,
• Discuss the chemistry of acids of boron borates borazine and boron nitride,
• Discuss the complication behaviour of the group 13 elements and,
• Describe the anomalous nature of boron,