Alkali Metals Summary PDF

### Alkali metals summary | Metal | Symbol | Appearance | | ---------- | ------ | -------------------------------------------- | | Lithium | Li | Hard to cut, silver/grey, shiny when cut | | Sodium | Na | Easier to cut, silver, shiny when cut...

### Alkali metals summary | Metal | Symbol | Appearance | | ---------- | ------ | -------------------------------------------- | | Lithium | Li | Hard to cut, silver/grey, shiny when cut | | Sodium | Na | Easier to cut, silver, shiny when cut | | Potassium | K | Easiest to cut, silver shiny | ### Properties of Group 1 Metals 1. Silvery-coloured metals 2. Soft 3. Can be easily cut 4. Shiny surface which dulls on oxidation 5. Highly reactive metals. 6. The reactivity increases going down the group. 7. There is a closer similarity between the elements of this Group than in any other Group of the periodic table. 8. Low melting point 9. Low boiling temperatures. 10. Low densities ### How do the group 1 metals react with water? - Lithium, sodium and potassium all react vigorously with water ### What does the reaction produce? - Hydrogen gas bubbles off, a metal hydroxide is formed which is a strong alkali ### Why are group 1 metals stored in oil? - To prevent them reacting with the oxygen and water vapour in the air. ### What happens to the reactivity as you go down the group? - The reactivity of the group 1 metals increases down the group as there are more shells ### Why are they called alkali metals? - They form an alkali solution when in water ### Why do you think they get more reactive as they go down the group? As you go down Group 1 the atoms become larger and the outer electron is further from the nucleus. The force of attraction between the positively-charged nucleus and the negatively-charged outer electron becomes weaker, which is why the outer electron is more easily lost.