Which pair of elements from the following list are expected to have the most similar chemical behavior based on their position in the periodic table: barium, silicon, aluminum, strontium, osmium, beryllium?

• A. Osmium and beryllium
• B. Silicon and aluminum
• C. Beryllium and aluminum
• D. Barium and strontium

Answer: (D)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Step 1: Understand that elements in the periodic table exhibit similar chemical behavior when they are in the same group (vertical column) because they have the same number of valence electrons.
2. Step 2: Identify the groups of each element given: Barium (Ba) and Strontium (Sr) are in Group 2 (alkaline earth metals), Beryllium (Be) is also in Group 2, Aluminum (Al) is in Group 13, Silicon (Si) is in Group 14, and Osmium (Os) is a transition metal in Group 8.
3. Step 3: Compare the pairs based on their group positions: Barium and Strontium are both in Group 2 and close to each other in period, so they are expected to have very similar chemical properties.
4. Step 4: Recognize that Silicon and Aluminum are in different groups (14 and 13 respectively), so their chemical behavior differs more significantly.
5. Step 5: Conclude that the pair with the most similar chemical behavior is the one where both elements share the same group and similar properties, which is Barium and Strontium.