Reactivity with water1/21/2024 ![]() The public were warned not to approach an alkali metal and their robot, particularly in the presence of water, as they could be very violent and explosive.ģ. Alkali metals react violently towards water The police began by explaining that alkali metals had a long criminal history centred on the theft of oxygen.Ģ. Alkali metals like to steal oxygen and form oxides The robots (electrons) are a bad influence and are responsible for the alkali metals’ unlawful reputation.Īlkali Metals (Group 1 in the periodic table) are entirely different from alkalis (which may be more easily remembered as alkali solutions).ġ. It is these robots (electrons) that cause the metals to behave how they do. *Each alkali metal has a robot as their sidekick (they have a single electron in their outer shell). The police issued the following statement, warning the public about alkali metals and their devious robots (electrons) and informing them of their properties. The third method involves giving you a mnemonic story that helps you to remember the properties of alkali metals.įollowing a raid on the alley, where the alkies were lying down with their metal beer cans, the alkali metals (along with their electric robots*), were deemed dangerous and criminal. If you add an acid/base indicator in the beaker then the solution turns red/purple proving that lithium hydroxide is basic in solution. If we trap some of the gas in a test tube and test the flammability by bringing a lighted wooden splint you will hear a pop proving that it is hydrogen. The lithium hydroxide is very water soluble and dissolves in water. Lithium reacts with water producing lithium hydroxide and hydrogen. Lithium reacts with water to give off hydrogen: We can also observe that lithium reacts rapidly with water. Group 1 metals are less dense than water. Lithium is an excellent conductor of electricity:Īdd lithium to water and you will notice it will float. Lithium is a shiny metal, that is until it oxidises and turns dull grey. ![]() Group 1 metals are relatively soft and can be cut with a knife. If we take the lithium out of the mineral oil you can see it is dull, grey and coated with a layer of the oxide. Group 1 metals are very reactive and one way that indicates that they are so reactive is they are stored in liquid keresone or mineral oil to prevent or limit their reaction with oxygen.Īlkali metals like to steal oxygen and form oxides: If you take some lithium and drop it in water this famous experiment will teach you much about the properties of group 1 elements. This means that they will not only react in a similar way but this single electron can very easily transfer to another atom. The reason why lithium (Li), sodium (Na) and potassium (K) react in a similar manner and so aggressively is because they all have only one electron in their outer shell. See and understand one of the most famous chemistry experiments. Understand and see the single electron in the outer shell. There are three methods that you can choose to help you remember and understand the properties of the alkali metals. But what do you need to know about these elements and the way they behave? Alkali metals react violently with water to produce hydroxides, they react with oxides stealing their oxygen, they are soft and can be cut with a knife, they have low melting points and are less dense than water. The elements in group 1 of the periodic table are referred to as the alkali metals.
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