Undergraduate
  1. General chemistry  1.1. Introduction to Chemistry  1.2. Atomic Structure  1.2.1. Subatomic particles  1.2.2. Atomic Model  1.2.3. Quantum numbers  1.2.4. Electron Configuration  1.2.5. Periodic trends  1.2.6. Isotopes and their applications  1.3. Chemical bond  1.3.1. Ionic bond  1.3.2. Covalent bonds  1.3.3. Metal Bond  1.3.4. Hybridization  1.3.5. Molecular geometry and VSEPR theory  1.3.6. Bond polarity and dipole moment  1.4. Stoichiometry  1.4.1. Mole concept  1.4.2. Empirical and molecular formula  1.4.3. Limiting reactant and excess reactant  1.4.4. Percent Yield and Purity  1.4.5. Dilution calculation  1.5. States of matter  1.5.1. Gas Laws  1.5.2. Matter and Intermolecular Forces  1.5.3. Solid and Crystal Structures  1.5.4. Phase diagram  1.5.5. Plasma and supercritical fluid  1.6. Chemical reactions  1.6.1. Types of Chemical Reactions  1.6.2. Balancing Chemical Equations  1.6.3. Thermochemical reactions  1.6.4. Reaction energy profiles  1.7. Solutions and Mixtures  1.7.1. Concentration units  1.7.2. Syndrome properties  1.7.3. Solubility and Solubility Rules  1.7.4. Henry's Law and Raoult's Law  1.7.5. Partition coefficient  1.8. Chemical equilibrium  1.8.1. Law of mass action  1.8.2. Le Chatelier's principle  1.8.3. Reaction quotient  1.8.4. To use this online calculator for Equilibrium Constant, enter Equilibrium Constant (Eq.) and hit the calculate button. Here is how the Equilibrium Constant calculation can be explained with given input values -> 0.05 = 0.05/0.  1.8.5. Acid-base balance  1.9. Acids and bases  1.9.1. Arrhenius, Brønsted–Lowry, and Lewis definitions  1.9.2. pH and pOH  1.9.3. Acid-base titration  1.9.4. Buffer Solution  1.9.5. Acid-base indicator  1.9.6. Polyprotic Acids and Bases  1.10. Electrochemistry  1.10.1. redox reactions  1.10.2. Galvanic and Electrolytic Cells  1.10.3. Nernst equation  1.10.4. Electrolysis  1.10.5. Faraday's laws of electrolysis  1.11. Thermodynamics  1.11.1. Laws of Thermodynamics  1.11.2. Enthalpy, entropy and Gibbs free energy  1.11.3. Spontaneity of reactions  1.11.4. Thermodynamic cycles (Hess's law, Carnot cycle)  1.12. Kinetics  1.12.1. Rate law and reaction order  1.12.2. Activation Energy and Catalyst  1.12.3. Collision theory  1.12.4. Reaction mechanism  1.12.5. Transition state theory
  2. Organic chemistry  2.1. Structure and relationships  2.1.1. Hybridisation in Carbon Compounds  2.1.2. Resonance and aromatization  2.1.3. Molecular orbitals  2.1.4. Inductive and mesomeric effects  2.2. Hydrocarbons  2.2.1. Hydrocarbons  2.2.2. Alkene  2.2.3. Alkynes  2.2.4. Aromatic compounds  2.2.5. Cycloalkanes and Conformation  2.3. Functional Group  2.3.1. Alcohols and phenols  2.3.2. Ethers and epoxides  2.3.3. Aldehyde and ketone  2.3.4. Carboxylic acids and derivatives  2.3.5. Amin  2.3.6. Esters and amides  2.3.7. Thiols and sulfides  2.4. Stereoscopic  2.4.1. Isomerism in Stereochemistry  2.4.2. Chirality and optical activity  2.4.3. Structural analysis  2.4.4. Diastereomers and Enantiomers  2.5.1. Substitution reactions  2.5.2. Elimination reactions  2.5.3. Addition reactions  2.5.4. Radical reactions  2.5.5. Rearrangement reactions  2.5.6. Pericyclic Reactions  2.6. Spectroscopy and structural analysis  2.6.1. Infrared Spectroscopy  2.6.2. Nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy  2.6.3. Mass Spectrometry  2.6.4. UV-visible spectroscopy  2.6.5. X-ray crystallography  2.7. Polymer chemistry  2.7.1. Addition and Condensation Polymers  2.7.2. Polymerization mechanism  2.7.3. Biodegradable Polymer  2.7.4. Conducting and smart polymers
  3. Inorganic chemistry  3.1. Coordination chemistry  3.1.1. Ligands and coordination compounds  3.1.2. Crystal field theory  3.1.3. Molecular Orbital Theory in Coordination Compounds  3.1.4. Jahn–Taylor distortion  3.2. Main Group Chemistry  3.2.1. Alkali and alkaline earth metals  3.2.2. Halogens and Noble Gases  3.2.3. Transition metals and their complexes  3.2.4. Lanthanides and Actinides  3.3. Solid state chemistry  3.3.1. Crystal lattices and unit cells  3.3.2. Defects in solids  3.3.3. Electrical and magnetic properties  3.3.4. Superconductivity  3.4. Bio-inorganic chemistry  3.4.1. Metal ions in biology  3.4.2. Enzymatic reactions with metals  3.4.3. Metal poisoning and detoxification  3.4.4. Metalloproteins and Metalloenzymes
  4. Physical chemistry  4.1. Quantum Chemistry  4.1.1. Wave–particle duality  4.1.2. Schrödinger Equation  4.1.3. Quantum Numbers and Orbitals  4.1.4. Atomic and molecular spectroscopy  4.2. Statistical mechanics  4.2.1. Maxwell–Boltzmann distribution  4.2.2. Partitioning functions  4.2.3. Bose–Einstein and Fermi–Dirac statistics  4.3. Chemical thermodynamics  4.3.1. Gibbs Free Energy  4.3.2. Phase transition  4.3.3. Thermodynamic efficiency  4.4. Surface chemistry  4.4.1. Absorption and Catalysis  4.4.2. Colloids and Emulsions
  5. Analytical Chemistry  5.1. Classical methods  5.1.1. Gravimetric Analysis  5.1.2. titrimeter  5.2. Instrumental methods  5.2.1. Chromatography  5.2.2. Spectroscopy  5.2.3. Electroanalytical methods  5.2.4. X-ray diffraction
  6. Industrial Chemistry  6.1. Petrochemistry  6.2. Chemical engineering principles  6.3. Green Chemistry  6.4. Pharmaceuticals and Drug Synthesis
  7. Biochemistry  7.1. Carbohydrates  7.2. Proteins and enzymes  7.3. Lipids and membranes  7.4. Nucleic acids  7.5. Metabolism and Bioenergetics  7.6. Enzyme kinetics and mechanism

Undergraduate → Inorganic chemistry → Main Group Chemistry ↓


Alkali and alkaline earth metals


Alkali and alkaline earth metals consist of elements located in groups 1 and 2, respectively, on the left side of the periodic table. These metals are characterized by their high reactivity and unique properties. Well known for forming the basic ingredients of some of the most essential compounds in chemistry, the alkali and alkaline earth metals provide a vital basis for many reactions and applications.

Group 1: Alkali metals

Alkali metals include the elements lithium (Li), sodium (Na), potassium (K), rubidium (Rb), cesium (Cs), and francium (Fr). They are located in the first column of the periodic table, specifically belonging to group 1. Here are some characteristics and examples to understand these elements better:

Characteristics of alkali metals

  • Highly reactive: Alkali metals are highly reactive, that is they readily participate in chemical reactions, especially with water and halogens.
  • Low melting and boiling point: These metals have lower melting point and boiling point than other metals.
  • Tenderness: They are soft and can often be cut with a knife.
  • Lustrous appearance: Freshly cut alkali metals have a lustrous, metallic luster that quickly tarnishes due to oxidation with air.
  • Good conductors: Because of their moving electrons they are excellent conductors of electricity.

Reactivity with water

Alkali metals react vigorously with water to form alkaline hydroxides and hydrogen gas. Here is a typical reaction involving sodium and water:

 Na + H2O → NaOH + H2

In this reaction, sodium (Na) reacts with water (H2O) to form sodium hydroxide (NaOH), an alkaline solution, and release hydrogen gas (H2).

No H2O feedback NaOH H2 A simplified diagram showing sodium reacting with water.

Chemical compounds of alkali metals

Alkali metals form various important compounds. For example:

  • Sodium chloride (NaCl): An essential compound known as common salt, commonly used in food.
  • Potassium nitrate (KNO3): Widely used in fertilizers and gunpowder.
No Chlorine sodium chloride Representation of the sodium chloride crystal lattice formation.

Group 2: Alkaline earth metals

The alkaline earth metals include beryllium (Be), magnesium (Mg), calcium (Ca), strontium (Sr), barium (Ba) and radium (Ra). These elements are found in group 2 of the periodic table and have remarkable properties:

Characteristics of alkaline earth metals

  • Less reactive than the alkali metals: Although they are still reactive, they are less reactive than their group 1 counterparts.
  • High melting point: Their melting point and boiling point are higher than that of alkali metals.
  • Density: Generally denser and harder than the alkali metals.

Reactivity with water

The reaction with water is less vigorous than that of alkali metals. When reacting with water, alkaline earth metals form hydroxide and hydrogen gas, as shown below with calcium:

 Ca + 2H2O → Ca(OH)2 + H2

In this example, calcium (Ca) reacts with water to form calcium hydroxide (Ca(OH)2) and hydrogen gas (H2).

CA H2O feedback Ca(OH)2 H2 Diagram showing calcium reacting with water.

Chemical compounds of alkaline earth metals

The alkaline earth metals form several important compounds that are vital in a variety of industrial applications:

  • Calcium carbonate (CaCO3): Found in limestone and used in building materials.
  • Magnesium sulfate (MgSO4): Commonly known as Epsom salt, it is used in medicine and agriculture.
CA CO3 Visualization of the ionic structure of calcium carbonate.

Comparison between alkali and alkaline earth metals

Below is a comparison to highlight the differences between alkali and alkaline earth metals.

  • Reactivity: Alkali metals are more reactive than alkaline earth metals.
  • Electrons: Alkali metals have one valence electron, which facilitates their high reactivity, while alkaline earth metals have two valence electrons, which makes them less reactive.
  • Compounds: Alkali metals usually form monovalent compounds, while alkaline earth metals form divalent compounds.

Application

Both types of metals have wide applications due to their unique physical and chemical properties:

  • Alkali metals: Used in soap making, street lights (sodium vapour lamps) and batteries (lithium-ion).
  • Alkaline earth metals: Major components in building materials (gypsum, cement), agriculture (lime) and medical remedies (antacids).

Conclusion

The alkali metals and alkaline earth metals play integral roles in forming the chemical building blocks of many substances essential to daily life. Their unique properties and their wide range of applications underscore their importance in chemistry. By understanding the reactive nature of these metals and their interactions, chemists can predict and manipulate a wide variety of chemical reactions and processes.


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Alkali and alkaline earth metals

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