alkali metal

Introduction & Top Questions
History
General properties of the group
- Physical properties
- Chemical properties
  - Reactions with oxygen
  - Reactions with water
  - Reactions with nonmetals
  - Formation of alloys
  - Formation of complexes
Analytical chemistry of the alkali metals

References & Edit History Quick Facts & Related Topics

Images & Videos

A color-coded periodic table of the elements displays each element's symbol and atomic number, with categories such as alkali metals, noble gases, halogens, transition metals, and actinoid elements distinguished by different background colors.

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At a Glance

alkali metal summary

Quizzes

Periodic Table of the elements concept image (chemistry)

Facts You Should Know: The Periodic Table Quiz

Related Questions

How are soluble minerals such as halite, sylvite, and carnallite extracted and purified?
How can high pressure make potassium, rubidium, and cesium behave more like transition metals?
How can rubidium-87 atoms form a Bose-Einstein condensate?
How did Robert Bunsen and Gustav Kirchhoff discover cesium and rubidium?
How did Sir Humphry Davy isolate potassium and sodium in 1807?
How did the Downs cell process produce sodium metal from molten sodium chloride?
How do alkali metals react with sulfur and phosphorus?
How do melting points change from lithium to cesium?
How do the flame-test colors of lithium, sodium, potassium, rubidium, and cesium differ?
How does atomic size change down the alkali-metal group?
How does electronegativity change down the alkali-metal group?
How does ionization energy change from lithium to cesium?
How does one valence electron affect the chemical behavior of alkali metals?
How is lithium chemically similar to alkaline-earth metals?
How is lithium used in lightweight batteries and metal alloys?
What chemical equation describes the reaction between sodium and water?
What physical properties do alkali metals share with other metals?
What products form when an alkali metal reacts with water?
Where are the alkali metals located on the periodic table?
Which alkali metal forms lithium nitride with nitrogen?
Which alkali metal produces a bright yellow flame?
Which alkali metals are less dense than water?
Which common commercial compounds contain sodium?
Which electron arrangement do all alkali metals share?
Which minerals contain sodium and potassium compounds?
Which six elements are classified as alkali metals?
Who discovered francium and when was it discovered?
Who discovered lithium and how was the element named?
Why are alkali-metal atoms relatively large?
Why are alkali metals good conductors of heat and electricity?
Why are alkali metals highly reactive?
Why are alkali metals named after alkalies?
Why are alkali metals usually stored away from air and moisture?
Why are lithium, sodium, and potassium less dense than water?
Why are potassium salts important in fertilizer manufacturing?
Why are sodium and potassium common in Earth’s crust?
Why can alkali metals react violently with water?
Why can hydrogen gas produced by alkali metals and water ignite?
Why do alkali metals form ionic compounds with nonmetals?
Why do alkali metals have low melting points?
Why does lithium react with nitrogen while the other alkali metals generally do not?
Why is cesium vapor used in atomic clocks?
Why is hydrogen placed in Group 1 but not classified as an alkali metal?
Why might potassium form an alloy with iron under the extreme pressure of Earth’s core?
Why were cesium and rubidium named for colors in their spectra?
What is the definition of an alkali metal?
Why are they called the alkali metals?
What are some properties of the alkali metals?
What is the most common alkali metal?
What are halogen elements?
What are the major properties of the halogen elements?

Science Chemistry

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External Websites

National Center for Biotechnology Information - PubMed Central - Alkali‐Metal Mediation: Diversity of Applications in Main‐Group Organometallic Chemistry
National Institute of Standards and Technology - Suppression Mechanisms of Alkali Metal Compounds (PDF)
Stanford University - Environmental Health and Safety - Information on Alkali Metals
CAMEO Chemicals - Metals, Alkali, Very Active

Britannica Websites

Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students.

alkali metal - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up)

alkali metal

chemical element

Also known as: Group 1 element, Group Ia element

Written by

Frederick Tepper

General Manager, Instrument Division, Mine Safety Appliances Company, Pittsburgh. Coauthor of Alkali Metal Handling and System Operating Techniques.

Frederick TepperAll

Fact-checked by

Britannica Editors

Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree....

Britannica Editors

History

alkali metal, any of the six chemical elements that make up Group 1 (Ia) of the periodic table—namely, lithium (Li), sodium (Na), potassium (K), rubidium (Rb), cesium (Cs), and francium (Fr). The alkali metals are so called because reaction with water forms alkalies (i.e., strong bases capable of neutralizing acids). Sodium and potassium are the sixth and seventh most abundant of the elements, constituting, respectively, 2.6 and 2.4 percent of Earth’s crust. The other alkali...

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