A fiery temperament of alkali metals
The alkali metals are a group in the periodic table consisting of the chemical elements lithium (
), sodium (
), potassium (
), rubidium (
), cesium (
), and francium (
). Because of their high reactivity, they must be stored under oil to prevent reaction with air. They are found naturally only in salt and never as a free element. Which of following best explains their high reactivity?
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If the ionization energy of a chemical element is less, it requires low energy to ionise. i.e. it can be easily ionised without providing high efforts. And ionization energy refers to the energy rquired to remove an electron from valancy orbit. If this energy is less, the metal atom can be easily ionized. And electron affinity is the energy required to add an electron. Therefore if the ionization energy and electron affinity are inversely proportional to each other. So, in case of the alkali metals, this ionization energy is very low hence the electron affinity is very high resulting in their high reactivity.