Which of the following statements is not true of halogens?
Answer Details
Halogens are a group of nonmetal elements consisting of fluorine (F), chlorine (Cl), bromine (Br), iodine (I), and astatine (At). Among the given options, the statement that is not true of halogens is "their ionic radii decrease down the group". In reality, as we move down the group, the ionic radii of halogens increase due to the addition of a new energy level in each successive element, which results in a larger atomic radius. The other statements are true of halogens: they exist in different physical states (F₂ and Cl₂ are gases, Br₂ is a liquid, and I₂ is a solid), they exist as diatomic molecules, and their melting and boiling points increase down the group due to stronger van der Waals forces between larger molecules.