Alkali Metals and Halogens

metals, found on the periodic table’s left side in the s-block, are among the most reactive elements on the planet because they quickly shed electrons. Halogens belong to the class of non-metals in group 17. Fluorine, chlorine, bromine, iodine and astatine are halogen elements. These components are too volatile to occur naturally. The electronic configurations uses and chemical and physical properties of group one alkali metals and the halogens are discussed here.

What are Alkali Metals?

All of the elements in column 1A of the periodic table are alkali metals, including caesium, hydrogen, lithium, sodium, rubidium, francium, and potassium. The fact that all of these metals contain one electron in their outermost shell of electrons binds them together.

The elements described above easily lose electrons in their outermost layer. Because hydrogen is so light, it is difficult for it to shed its one electron and hence behaves more like a nonmetal. Francium is a very rare and rapidly decaying element; it is thought that there is just one atom of francium on the planet at any one time! As a result, the majority of this lesson will be dedicated to rubidium, sodium, lithium, caesium, and potassium.

Properties of Alkali Metals

Alkali metals have a silvery appearance, are soft, and are not particularly dense. They can be cut easily with a small knife, and caesium can even melt in your hands. They have low melting points and are highly reactive, so they must be stored in particular solutions or containers to avoid an unexpected reaction. The fact that alkali metals contain one electron in their outermost electron layer contributes to their reactivity. Like many other metals, the alkali metals yearn for electronic structures similar to those of their notoriously stable and unreactive cousins, the noble gases.

An alkali metal’s outermost electron can be removed with extremely little energy. As a result, alkali metals lose their outermost electrons quickly and become a +1 ion. This happens so frequently that finding an alkali metal sample with all its electrons is unusual; most alkali metals exist in their ionic +1 state.

The initial ionisation energy is the amount of energy required to remove an electron from an element. The first ionisation energies of the alkali metals are the lowest of all the elements. The first ionisation energy goes lower and lower as you move down the 1A column, making caesium the most easily ionised element on the periodic table.

What are Halogens?

The halogens are the elements of group 17. Fluorine, chlorine, bromine and iodine are halogen elements. These components are too volatile to occur naturally, yet their compounds are widely distributed.

Properties of Halogens

Fluorine could be a pale yellow gas, chlorine a greenish-yellow gas, bromine a deep reddish-brown liquid, and iodine a greyish-black crystalline solid, according to halogen characteristics. Since liquid bromine has a high-pressure level, the crimson vapour is evident right away. The pressure of iodine crystals is uniform. These crystals are sublime and generate a lovely deep violet mist when gently heated.

Chlorine is the second halogen that belongs to the non-metal class in the periodic table. It shows similar properties to bromine, iodine and fluorine. The electronic configuration of the chlorine is [Ne]3s23p5.

Bromine is only marginally soluble in water, but it dissolves entirely in less polar (or nonpolar) solvents such as chloroform, carbon tet, and compound, generating solutions ranging from yellow to reddish-brown depending on the concentration.

Iodine is soluble in chloroform, carbon tet, compound, and various other hydrocarbons, resulting in violet I2 molecule solutions. It’s quite soluble in aqueous iodide solutions, where it forms brown solutions. Because iodine molecules have vacant valence d orbitals, they can act as weak Lewis acids towards the iodide ion, resulting in brown solutions.

Alkali Metals and Halogens: Differences

Conclusion

The fact that alkali metals contain one electron in their outermost electron layer contributes to their reactivity. The alkali metals yearn for electronic structures similar to their notoriously stable and unreactive cousins, the noble gases. The halogens combine to generate halides that are less electronegative. Metal halides range from ionic to covalent, while non-metal halides are covalent. Interhalogens form when two or more distinct halogens are mixed. In order to produce representative metal halides, minerals are directly reacted with all of the representative halogen elements or with hydrohalic acid solutions.