Alkali metal

The physical and chemical properties of the alkali metals can be readily explained by their having an ns1 valence electron
configuration, which results in weak metallic bonding. Hence, all the alkali metals are soft and have low densities,[30]
melting[30] and boiling points,[30] as well as heats of sublimation, vaporisation, and dissociation.[10]:74 They all crystallise
in the body-centered cubic crystal structure,[10]:73 and have distinctive flame
1 colours because their outer s electron is very easily excited.[10]:75 The ns1
H configuration also results in the alkali metals having very large atomic and ionic
Hidrogen radii, as well as very high thermal and electrical conductivity.[10]:75 Their
1,008 chemistry is dominated by the loss of their lone valence electron in the outermost s-
orbital to form the +1 oxidation state, due to the ease of ionising this electron and
the very high second ionisation energy.[10]:76 Most of the chemistry has been
observed only for the first five members of the group. The chemistry of francium is
3 4 not well established due to its extreme radioactivity;[30] thus, the presentation of its
Li Be properties here is limited. What little is known about francium shows that it is very
Litiu Beriliu close in behaviour to caesium, as expected. The physical properties of francium are
6,94 9,0122 even sketchier because the bulk element has never been observed; hence any data
that may be found in the literature are certainly speculative extrapolations.[65]
( Figura 1)
11 12 The alkali metals are more similar to each other than the elements in any other
group are to each other.[30] Indeed, the similarity is so great that it is quite difficult
Na Mg
to separate potassium, rubidium, and caesium, due to their similar ionic radii;
Sodiu Magneziu
lithium and sodium are more distinct. For instance, when moving down the table,
22,990 24,305 all known alkali metals show increasing atomic radius,[72] decreasing
electronegativity,[72] increasing reactivity,[30] and decreasing melting and boiling
points[72] as well as heats of fusion and vaporisation.[10]:75 In general, their
19 20 densities increase when moving down the table, with the exception that potassium
K Ca is less dense than sodium.[72] One of the very few properties of the alkali metals
Potasiu Calciu that does not display a very smooth trend is their reduction potentials: lithium's
39,098 40,078 value is anomalous, being more negative than the others.[10]:75 This is because the
Li+ ion has a very high hydration energy in the gas phase: though the lithium ion
disrupts the structure of water significantly, causing a higher change in entropy, this
high hydration energy is enough to make the reduction potentials indicate it as
37 38 being the most electropositive alkali metal, despite the difficulty of ionising it in the
Rb Sr gas phase.[10]:75
Rubidiu Stronțiu The stable alkali metals are all silver-coloured metals except for caesium, which has
a 85,468 87,62 pale golden tint:[73] it is one of only three metals that are clearly coloured (the
other two being copper and gold).[10]:74 Additionally, the heavy alkaline earth
metals calcium, strontium, and barium, as well as the divalent lanthanides europium
55 56 and ytterbium, are pale yellow, though the colour is much less prominent than it is
for caesium.[10]:74 Their lustre tarnishes rapidly in air due to oxidation.[30] They
Cs Ba
all crystallise in the body-centered cubic crystal structure,[10]:73 and have
Cesiu Bariu
distinctive flame colours because their outer s electron is very easily excited.
132,91 137,33 Indeed, these flame test colours are the most common way of identifying them since
all their salts with common ions are soluble.[10]:75

87 88
Fr Ra
Franciu Radiu
(223) (226)

Figura 1