Alkali metals: Alkali metal - Properties

Alkali metal - Properties, Reactivity, Uses: The alkali metals have the high thermal and electrical conductivity, lustre, ductility, and malleability that are characteristic of metals. Each alkali metal atom has a single electron in its outermost shell. This valence electron is much more weakly bound than those in inner shells. As a result, the alkali metals tend to form singly charged positive ions (cations) when they react with nonmetals. The compounds that result have high melting points ... Alkali Metals - In this article, let us study the first group of metals, its occurrence, properties, characteristics and uses. Read more. Alkali metals are the first group of s-block elements that are found on the leftmost side of the periodic table. Alkali metals are the most electropositive elements on the periodic table as they easily lose electrons. These metals formed various useful compounds with halides, oxygen, and sulfur. All alkali metals react with water, with heavier alkali metals more reactive than lighter metals. The elements of the alkali metals include lithium, sodium, potassium, rubidium, cesium, and francium.