Document 20

Group 1 elements
 The Group 1 elements are known as the alkali metals

o They form alkaline solutions when they react with water
 The Group 1 metals are lithium, sodium, potassium, rubidium, caesium and francium
and they are found in the first column of the periodic table
 The alkali metals share similar characteristic chemical properties because they each
have one electron in their outermost shell
 Some of these properties are:
o They are all soft metals which can easily be cut with a knife
o They have relatively low densities and low melting points
o They are very reactive (they only need to lose one electron to become highly
stable)
Group 1 elements in the Periodic Table
The alkali metals lie on the far left of the periodic table, in the very first group
Physical properties of the Group 1 elements

 The alkali metals are soft and easy to cut, getting softer as you move down the group
o Potassium is the exception; it has a lower density than sodium
 The first three alkali metals are less dense than water
 They all have relatively low melting points which decrease as you move down the
group, due to decreasing attractive forces between outer electrons and positive ions
Melting points of the Group 1 elements

The melting point of the Group 1 metals decreases as you descend the group
 The reactivity of the Group 1 metals increases as you go down the group
 When a Group 1 element reacts, its atoms only need to lose the 1 electron in the outer
shell
o When this happens, 1+ ions are formed
 The next shell down automatically becomes the outermost shell and since it
is already full, a Group 1 atom obtains noble gas configuration
 As you go down Group 1, the number of shells of electrons increases by 1
o This means that the outermost electron gets further away from the nucleus, so
there are weaker forces of attraction between the outermost electron and the
nucleus
o Less energy is required to overcome the force of attraction as it gets weaker,
so the outer electron is lost more easily
o So, the alkali metals get more reactive as you descend the group
The electronic structure of Group 1 elements

These electron shell diagrams of the first 3 alkali metals show that the group 1 metals have
1 electron in their outer shell
Exam Tip
In your exams, you could be asked to explain the trend in reactivity of the alkali metals -
make sure you answer this question using their electronic configuration to support your
answer.
Group 1 reactivity
 You need to be able to describe the reactions of the first three alkali metals with
water, oxygen and chlorine
o This includes providing reaction equations to show what is happening
 Alkali metals react readily with oxygen and water vapour in air, so they are usually
stored in oil to stop them from reacting
Reactions with Water
 The reactions of the alkali metals with water get more vigorous as you descend the
group, as with the other reactions
 You could be asked to describe and explain the reactions of the alkali metals with
water
Summary of the Reactions of the First Three Alkali Metals with Water
Element Reaction Observations

 Relatively
slow
lithium + water → reaction
lithium hydroxide +  Fizzing
hydrogen  Lithium
Li
moves on
2Li (s) + 2H2O (l) → the
2LiOH (aq) + H2 (g) surface of
the water
 More
vigorous
sodium + water → fizzing
sodium hydroxide +  Moves
hydrogen rapidly on
Na the
2Na (s) + 2H2O (l) surface of
→ 2NaOH (aq) + the water
H2(g)  Dissolves
quickly
 Reacts
more
vigorousl
y than
sodium
 Burns
potassium + water → with a
potassium hydroxide + lilac
hydrogen flame
K
 Moves
2K (s) + 2H2O (l) → very
2KOH (aq) + H2 (g) rapidly on
the
surface
 Dissolves
very
quickly
 Rubidium, caesium and francium will react even more vigorously with air and water
than the first three alkali metals
 Of the alkali metals, lithium is the leastreactive (as it is at the top of group 1) and
francium would be the most reactive (as it’s at the bottom of group 1)
Reactions with Oxygen
 The alkali metals react with oxygen in the air forming metal oxides, which is why the
alkali metals tarnish when exposed to the air
 The metal oxide produced is a dull coating which covers the surface of the metal
Summary of the reactions of the first three alkali metals with oxygen
Element Reaction
lithium + oxygen →
lithium oxide
Li
4Li (s) + O2 (g) →
2Li2O (s)
sodium + oxygen →
sodium oxide
Na
4Na (s) + O2 (g) →
2Na2O (s)
potassium + oxygen →
potassium oxide
K
4K (s) + O2 (g) →
2K2O (s)
Reactions with Chlorine
 All the group 1 metals react vigorously when heated with chlorine gas to form salts
called metal chlorides
 This reaction becomes more vigorous moving down the group, the same as with the
reaction between the metals and water
Summary of the Reactions of the First Three Alkali Metals with Chlorine
Element Reaction
lithium + chlorine →
lithium chloride
Li
2Li (s) + Cl2 (g) →
2LiCl (s)
sodium + chlorine →
sodium chloride
Na
2Na (s) + Cl2 (g) →
2NaCl (s)
potassium + chlorine
→ potassium chloride
K
2K (s) + Cl2 (g) →
2KCl (s)
Exam Tip
Remember: All Group 1 metals produce alkaline solutions (> pH 7) when they react with
water. Lithium will produce a solution of lithium hydroxide; sodium will produce a solution
of sodium hydroxide and so on. Make sure you can give the reaction equations with the
correct state symbols to show what is happening during the reactions!

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Group 1 elements

 The Group 1 elements are known as the alkali metals

Group 1 elements in the Periodic Table

Physical properties of the Group 1 elements

Melting points of the Group 1 elements

The electronic structure of Group 1 elements

Reactions with Water

Element Reaction Observations

Reactions with Oxygen

Reactions with Chlorine

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