Group 1 Flashcards

All 8 cards in this deck

Where in the periodic table are the alkali metals found?

Group 1 – the first (far-left) column.
e.g. lithium, sodium, potassium

Give two physical properties of the group 1 metals.

Soft (soft enough to be cut with a knife) and relatively low melting points.
They also have low density.

What would you see when a small piece of sodium is added to water?

It floats, fizzes (effervescence), melts into a ball, moves around on the surface and gets smaller until it disappears.

What is the balanced equation, with state symbols, for sodium reacting with water?

$2\text{Na(s)} + 2\text{H}_2\text{O(l)} \rightarrow 2\text{NaOH(aq)} + \text{H}_2\text{(g)}$

The products are sodium hydroxide (an alkaline solution) and hydrogen.

What is the trend in reactivity with water going down group 1?

Reactivity increases down the group.
Order for these three: lithium < sodium < potassium.

What would you predict you would see when a small piece of rubidium is dropped onto water?

Fizzing/effervescence, the metal moves around and disappears, and it ignites with a flame or explodes (reacts violently).

Explain, in terms of electronic configurations, why reactivity increases from lithium to sodium to potassium.

The atoms become larger, so the outer electron is further from the nucleus and more shielded, so it is more easily lost.

How does the reaction of potassium with water differ from that of sodium?

Potassium reacts more vigorously. Enough heat is released to ignite the hydrogen produced, so it burns with a lilac flame.