CHEMISTRY OF ELEMENTS AND THEIR COMPOUNDS GROUP lA

Group I-A: Alkali Metals

Most reactive metal

• aka: Active elements

• Valence: 1

• They are reactive that they DO NOT occur

freely in nature

Softer than most other metals

• React with HALOGEN family to form salts

• React with OXYGEN and air forming BASIC

OXIDES

• Hydroxides and oxides of alkali metals are

STRONGLY BASIC

Hydrogen

• Shares the same properties with alkali metal

• aka: Inflammable air

• Dsocovered by Henry Cavendish

• Named by Antoine Laurent Lavoisier

• means “to produce water”

• LIGHTEST element

• The most abundant element in the UNIVERSE

Protium

Most abundant

DEUTERIUM

Heavy water

Tritium

Radioactive

Lithium

Derived from Greek word “lithos” which means

“stone”.

• 3rd LIGHTEST element

• Discovered by J.A. Arfwedson

• Lightest metal with the density of 0.534 g/mL

Sodium

• aka: Natrium

• The most abundant EXTRACELLULAR CATION

• The cation of choice to optimize the

pharmaceutical utility of organic medicaments

Potassium

aka: Kalium

• Most abundant INTRACELLULAR CATION

Toxicity: HYPERKALEMIA

--> it can lead to cardiac arrest

Potassium

Gives the glass a BROWN color and LIGHT

RESISTANCE.

Manganese dioxide

Masks the BLUE-GREEN

color of glass

Boron

Decreases the COEFFICIENT OF EXPANSION of glass.

Lead

Increases the REFRACTIVE INDEX of glass

Cesium

The first element to be discovered by the use of Spectroscope.

• It was discovered in 1860 by German chemists Robert Bunsen and Gustav Kirchhoff

Francium

The MOST METALLIC element.

• The LEAST ELECTRONEGATIVE element

Ammonium

Behaves in all respects like an alkali metal. Thus it is called the “HYPOTHETICAL ALKALI METAL.”