Some S-block elements of the periodic table, such as lithium and beryllium, have distinct characteristics in comparison to other elements in the same group for a variety of reasons. Elements are organized in a periodic table in a row-by-row and column-by-column fashion based on their chemical and physical characteristics.
The elements in the first column are referred to as Group 1 elements, and they include lithium, sodium, potassium, rubidium, Caesium, and Francium. All of these elements have similar properties with the exception of lithium, hence all of the elements in this group, including lithium (which has distinct properties), are referred to as Alkali Metals.
The elements in the second column are referred to as Group 2 elements, and they include beryllium, magnesium, calcium, strontium, barium, and radium. Except for Beryllium, all of these elements have comparable characteristics, hence all of the elements in this group are known as Alkaline Earth Metals.
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1. Depending on the metal and its size, alkali metals react aggressively with oxygen, forming oxides, peroxides, and superoxides. Among alkali metals, lithium is the sole element that forms an oxide, whereas the others form peroxides and superoxides.
4Li + O2 → 2Li2O
2. Alkali metals react with water to produce hydroxides and emit H2 gas; however, the reaction of lithium with water is less violent than that of other alkali metals, despite the fact that the value of Standard potential for lithium is the most negative.
2X + 2H2O → 2M++ 2OH– + H2 ,where X is an alkali metal.
3. Alkali metals react with the halogen group, which consists of fluorine, chlorine, bromine, and iodine, to generate related ionic halides, whereas lithium forms covalent halides.
2M + X2 → 2MX , where X is a halogen and M is an alkali metal.
4. Alkali metals may react with hydrogen to generate equivalent hydrides at high temperatures of about 673 K, whereas lithium typically interacts with hydrogen at extremely high temperatures around 1073 K.
5. Alkali metals are reducing in nature, with lithium being the most powerful reducing agent.
The anomalous characteristics of lithium are caused mostly by two factors:
1. Size: The atomic size of lithium is extremely tiny.
2. Polarizing power: Polarizing power may be defined as the ratio of an element’s charge to its radius. Lithium has a strong polarizing power due to its small size hence the charge divided by radius yields a large value.
There are several significant distinctions between beryllium and other Alkaline Earth Metals:
The anomalous characteristics of beryllium are caused mostly by two factors:
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