The common oxidation state for alkali metal is _. a) +1 b) +2 c) +3 d) +4
The correct answer and explanation is:
The correct answer is a) +1.
Alkali metals are found in Group 1 of the periodic table, which includes elements such as lithium (Li), sodium (Na), potassium (K), rubidium (Rb), cesium (Cs), and francium (Fr). These elements share common characteristics, such as being highly reactive and having one electron in their outermost shell.
The reason the common oxidation state for alkali metals is +1 lies in their electron configuration. Alkali metals have one electron in their outermost energy level, which is relatively far from the nucleus. To achieve a more stable electron configuration, they tend to lose this single valence electron during chemical reactions. When an alkali metal loses this electron, it forms a positively charged ion (cation) with a +1 charge.
For example, sodium (Na) has the electron configuration [Ne]3s¹. When it loses its one valence electron, it becomes Na⁺, with the electron configuration of [Ne], which is stable. Similarly, other alkali metals, like potassium (K), also form +1 ions by losing their single valence electron.
This loss of one electron and the resulting +1 charge is a consistent trend across all alkali metals. Because of their +1 oxidation state, alkali metals are highly reactive, especially with halogens, and form ionic compounds such as sodium chloride (NaCl) and potassium bromide (KBr), where the alkali metal ion is positively charged and the halide ion is negatively charged.
In summary, the common oxidation state for alkali metals is +1 due to their tendency to lose their single outermost electron to achieve a stable electron configuration.