Group 1 Elements

Question 1

What are some properties of Group elements?

Answer 1

They are highly reactive and are Soft metals.

Question 2

What are the trends for the alkali metals as you go down Group 1?

Answer 2

Increasing Reactivity
Lower melting and Boiling points
Higher Relative Atomic Mass

This is because the outer electron is more easily lost as the attraction between the nucleus and the electron decreases, because the electron is further away from the nucleus and the further down the group you go.

Question 3

Group 1 metals have different properties to Transition Metals

Answer 3

Group 1 metals are much more reactive than transition metals - they react more vigorously with water, oxygen or Group 7 elements, for example.

They’re also much less dense, strong and hard than the transition metals, and have much lower melting points. E.g manganese melts at 2000°C, sodium melts at 98°C