what is the family/group number for carbon?
About the Group. Group 14 is the carbon family. The five members are carbon, silicon, germanium, tin, and lead. All of these elements have four electrons in their outermost energy level. Of the Group 14 elements, only carbon and silicon form bonds as nonmetals (sharing electrons covalently). Silicon and germanium are semimetals (metalloids), existing in compounds with either +4 or -4 charges. Tin and lead are definitely metals. They always lose electrons due to the distance of their outer shells from the nucleus. They usually form compounds as cations with a +4 charge. All of the elements of this family can form four bonds, the most of any family. Chemical Properties The element carbon is the basis of life. It is found in all living material.