![]() ![]() Their chemical reactions typically occur more slowly and produce less heat compared to the alkali metals. But they're not as reactive as the alkali metals. Each of these elements has two electrons in its outermost energy level, which makes the alkaline earths reactive enough that they're rarely found alone in nature. ![]() Hydrogen, with its single electron, also lives in Group 1, but the gas is considered a nonmetal.Īlkaline-earth metals: The alkaline-earth metals make up Group 2 of the periodic table, from beryllium (Be) through radium (Ra). They are also extremely reactive and will burst into flame or even explode on contact with water, so chemists store them in oils or inert gases. Shiny and soft enough to cut with a knife, these metals start with lithium (Li) and end with francium (Fr). #"K"# loses one electron to #"F"# and forms the ionic compound potassium fluoride, #"K"^"+""F"^"-"#.The periodic table of elements is arranged into several broad groups (Image credit: Future) Groups of the Periodic tableĪlkali metals: The alkali metals make up most of Group 1, the table's first column. ![]() Therefore, a metal from the bottom of Group 1 (like potassium) and a nonmetal from the top of Group 17 (like fluorine) will react violently, because they both benefit greatly from the reaction. In fact, oxygen (the lightest element in Group 16) is more reactive than chlorine, even though it is not a halogen, because the valence electrons of oxygen are closer to the nucleus (at a lower energy). Within each Group of nonmetals, reactivity decreases from top to bottom, because the valence electrons are at progressively higher energies and the atoms do not gain much stability by gaining electrons. To form a covalent bond, one electron from the halogen and one electron from another atom form a shared pair (e.g., in #"H–F"#, the dash represents a shared pair of valence electrons, one from #"H"# and one from #"F"#). To form an ionic bond, a halogen atom can remove an electron from another atom in order to form an anion (e.g., #"F"^"-", "Cl"^"-"#, etc.). It has an #s^2p^5# electron configuration, so it requires only one additional valence electron to form a closed shell. The most reactive kind of nonmetal is a halogen such as fluorine or chlorine. It can either share electrons with a neighboring atom to form a covalent bond or it can remove electrons from another atom to form an ionic bond. The valence electrons are less tightly bound and easier to remove, because they are farther away from the nucleus of the atom.Ī nonmetal tends to attract additional valence electrons to attain a full valence shell. Within each group of metals, reactivity increases as you go down the group. ![]() This one valence electron is easily lost to form a positive ion with an #s^2p^6# configuration (e.g., #"Na"^+# or #"K"^+#).Ī metal from Group 2 (e.g., magnesium) is somewhat less reactive, because each atom must lose two valence electrons to form a positive ion (e.g., #"Mg"^(2+)# with an #s^2p^6# configuration. The most reactive kind of metallic element is a metal from Group 1 (e.g., sodium or potassium).Īn atom in Group 1 has only a single valence electron. This tendency is called the octet rule, because the bonded atoms have eight valence electrons. Generally, elements in Groups 1, 2, and 13 to 17 tend to react to form a closed shell, corresponding to the electron configuration #s^2p^6#. That is why elements whose atoms have the same number of valence electrons are grouped together in the Periodic Table. The valence electrons are the electrons in the outermost electron shell of an atom. ![]()
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