Group 7A 

(or VIIA) of the periodic table are the halogens:  fluorine

(F), chlorine (Cl), bromine (Br), iodine (I), and astatine (At).  The
name "halogen" means "salt former", derived from the Greek
words halo- ("salt") and -gen ("formation").
The Group 7A elements have seven valence electrons in their
highest-energy orbitals (ns2np5).  This is one electron away from
having a full octet of eight electrons, so these elements tend to form
anions having -1 charges, known as halides:  fluoride, F-; chloride,
Cl-, bromide, Br-, and iodide, I-.
In combination with other nonmetals, the halogens form
compounds through covalent bonding.
In their elemental form, the halogens form diatomic molecules, X 2,
connected by single bonds.  Since all of the halogens have one
unpaired electron in their atomic forms, it is easy for them to "pair
up" to form diatomic molecules.  The X2 molecules are nonpolar, so
the only interactions between them are fairly weak London forces,
but as the size of the atoms increase, the London forces become
stronger, increasing their melting and boiling points:  fluorine is a
gas which liquefies at -188ºC, chlorine is a gas which liquefies at a
much higher temperature of -34ºC; bromine is a liquid which boils
at 59ºC; and iodine is a solid which melts at 113ºC and boils at
184ºC.
The halogens are extremely reactive (especially fluorine), and are
not found naturally in their elemental forms.  They are usually
found in combination with various metals in minerals, or in
combination with other nonmetals in molecular compounds.  The
halogens also form compounds with carbon easily; organic
molecules containing carbon are often known as alkyl halides,
or organohalides, and have many different household and industrial
uses.  In combination with hydrogen (which also has one unpaired
electron), the halogens form the hydrohalic acids:  hydrofluoric acid
(HF), hydrochloric acid (HCl), hydrobromic acid (HBr), and
hydroiodic acid (HI).
 
Fluorine (F, Z=9).
In its elemental form, fluorine (F 2) is a pale yellow gas; it is
extremely reactive and toxic.  (In fact, a large number of chemists
who tried to isolate elemental fluorine — which turned out to be an
extremely difficult task — died at relatively early ages.  See Isaac
Asimov's book, Asimov on Chemistry (1974), "Death in the
Laboratory" for more.)  The name of the element is derived from
Latin word fluere, which means "to flow."  It is found in the Earth's
crust at a concentration of 950 ppm, making it the 13th most
abundant element; it is also found in seawater at a concentration of
1.3 ppm.  It is found in the ores fluorite [also known as fluorspar,
calcium fluoride, CaF2], cryolite [Na3AlF6], and fluorapatite
{[Ca3(PO4)2]3·CaF2}.
Chlorine (Cl, Z=17).
Chlorine in its elemental form (Cl 2) is a yellow-green gas; it is
poisonous (it was the first toxic gas to be used in gas warfare during
World War I), and too reactive to be found in nature in the
elemental form.  The name of the element is derived from the Latin
word for greenish-yellow, chloros.  It is found in the Earth's crust at
a concentration of 130 ppm, making it the 20th most abundant
element; in seawater, its concentration is about 1.8%.  It is found in
the form of chloride anions, Cl -, in the minerals halite [sodium
chloride, NaCl] and sylvite [potassium chloride, KCl], chlorargyrite
[silver chloride, AgCl], and in seawater.
Bromine (Br, Z=35).
Bromine is a dark, reddish-brown liquid at room temperature (the
only nonmetallic element that is a liquid at room temperature) with
a terrible smell.  The name "bromine" is derived from the Greek
word for "stench," bromos.  It is found in the Earth's crust at a
concentration of 0.4 ppm, making it the 62nd most abundant
element; it is also found in seawater at a concentration of 65 ppm. 
It is found as bromide ions, Br -, in the ore bromargyrite [silver
bromide, AgBr], in seawater, and some natural sea-salt deposits
and brines.
Iodine (I, Z=53).
Iodine forms dark, shiny, purple crystals at room temperature.  The
name come from the Greek word iodes, meaning "violet."  It is found
in the Earth's crust at a concentration of 0.14 ppm, making it the
64th most abundant element; it is also found in seawater at a
concentration of 0.06 ppm.  It is found in the ores iodargyrite [silver
iodide, AgI] and lautarite [calcium iodate, Ca(IO 3)2], in seawater, and
some natural sea-salt deposits and brines.
Iodine is toxic, but it is so much less reactive than the other
halogens that it is not as dangerous, and in low concentrations it
can be used as an antibacterial agent.  "Tincture of iodine" is a
solution of 3% elemental iodine in a mixture of ethanol and water,
commonly used as a disinfectant for cleaning wounds and
sanitizing water.  Iodine (in the form of the iodide anion, I -) is
essential in the diet; it accumulates in the thyroid gland, where it is
incorporated into hormones that help to regulate metabolic
functions. 
Astatine (At, Z=85).
Astatine is a radioactive element.  The name of the element is
derived from from the Greek word astatos, which means
"unstable."  It is found in the Earth's crust in only trace amounts,
and is one of the ten least abundant compounds.
Astatine is found in trace amounts in some uranium ores, where it
is produced as a part of the decay series of uranium and thorium,
but since all of its isotopes have fairly short half-lives (the longest,
astatine-210, has a half-life of 8 hours), there is not much of this
element around.  (It is estimated that there is less than 30 grams of
astatine in the Earth's crust.)

Byjus Halogen
Halogens are nonmetals. At room temperature, fluorine and
chlorine are gases and bromine is a liquid. Iodine and astatine are
solids. Halogens are very reactive, the reactivity decreases from
fluorine to astatine. Halogens do not exist in the elemental form in
nature. Astatine isotopes are radioactive with short half-lives.
Table salt, bleach, fluoride in toothpaste, chlorine in swimming
pools, what do all of these have in common? Add halogen lamps to
the list, and the answer becomes more clear: all involve one or more
of the halogens, which form Group 7 of the periodic table, which
consists of five chemically related elements: fluorine (F), chlorine
(Cl), bromine (Br), iodine (I), and astatine (At). The word ‘halogen’ is
derived from Greek and originally means “salt-forming“. Halogens
are found in the environment only in the form of ions or
compounds, because of their high reactivity.

Halogen Properties
We will look at some of the physical and chemical properties of
Halogens.

Physical Properties
 The group of halogens is the only periodic table group that
contains elements in all three familiar states of matter at
standard temperature and pressure
 Fluorine (F) is a pale yellow gas
 Chlorine (Cl) is a greenish gas
 Bromine (Br) is a dark red liquid
 Iodine (I) is a black solid and when heated it forms a purple
vapour
 Astatine (At) is a black solid
 The halogens all have a strong and often nasty smell
 The halogen elements are extremely toxic
 Poor conductors of heat and electricity
 Low melting and boiling points
  Molecules of all halogens are homonuclear diatomic. What this
means is that their molecules exist with two atoms each.
 Halogens have seven valence electrons because halogens have
one electron missing, they form negative ions and are highly
reactive.
 They can gain an electron by reacting with atoms of other
elements.
 Fluorine is one of the most reactive elements in existence.
 They have relatively weak intermolecular forces.

Halogen Compounds
One of the definitive properties of Halogens is that they are highly
reactive. Due to this nature, they can form different compounds
such as halides, interhalogens and polyhalogenated compounds.
We will look at them in brief below.
Hydrogen Halides
These are binary compounds formed when halogens react with
hydrogen. Generally, if we take fluorine, chlorine, and bromine, the
reaction appears in the form given below:
H2 + X2 → 2HX
Hydrogen halides are strong hydrohalic acids when dissolved in
water. These acids are dangerous.

Metal halides
These are compounds formed by the reaction of halogens with
metals. Metal halides can be highly ionic compounds, monomeric
covalent compounds or polymeric covalent compounds. They are
usually obtained through direct combination or through
neutralization of a basic metal salt with hydrohalic acid.

Interhalogen Compounds
When halogens react with each other they form interhalogen
compounds. Their properties and behaviours are intermediates of
those of the two-parent halogens. Some properties may differ
though. All interhalogens apart from IF7 can be formed by directly
combining pure halogens in set conditions.

Halogenated/Organohalogen Compounds
These are also known as organic halides. These can be categorized
as organic compounds containing halogen atoms. Organohalogens
are usually manufactured through nucleophilic abstraction
reaction.

Polyhalogenated Compounds
Compounds that are substituted with multiple halogens are
categorized as polyhalogenated compounds. They are industrially
created compounds and most of these are toxic and bioaccumulate
in humans. Some of the polyhalogenated compound examples
include PCBs, PBDEs, and PFCs.
Uses of Halogens
 Bromine and chlorine are often used as disinfectants for
purifying water, swimming pools, fresh wounds, dishes and
sterilizing surfaces.
 Small amounts of a halogen such as iodine or bromine are
found in Halogen lamps.
 Fluoride is found in products such as toothpaste, baby
formulas and vitamin supplements.
 Chlorine accounts for about 0.15 percent of human body
weight and plays several important roles in the body’s
functioning. Compounds of both chlorine and bromine are
used as disinfectants for sterilization.
 Fluoride anions are found in some quantity in different
organisms. It is essential for humans. Iodine is also another
compound.
 Halogen atoms are mostly lipophilic and less water-soluble.
Thus, it has been used in drug components to provide
improved penetration through lipid membranes and tissues.
However, halogenated drugs can pile up in adipose tissue.
 Polyhalogenated compounds (PHCs) are used in a wide array
of manufactured products and in pest control.