Pearson Edexcel International GCSE (9–1) · CHEMISTRY · Section
Explaining the increase in reactivity
19 practice questions
Practice questions
1–10 of 19
Question 1
1 mark · Easy
Answer and see the solution →State how the number of electron shells changes as you move down Group 1 in the Periodic Table.
Question 2
3 marks · Easy
Answer and see the solution →(a)[1 mark]State the electronic configuration of a sodium atom (Na).
(b)[2 marks]Explain how the electronic configuration of sodium affects its reactivity compared to lithium.
Question 3
2 marks · Easy
Answer and see the solution →A potassium atom has 19 electrons. How many electron shells does it have? Show your working.
Question 4
2 marks · Easy
Answer and see the solution →Explain why the outer electron in a caesium atom is lost more easily than the outer electron in a lithium atom.
Question 5
3 marks · Easy
Answer and see the solution →(a)[1 mark]Alkali metals: electronic configuration and reaction speed with water Metal Number of electron shells Relative reaction speed Lithium 2 slow Sodium 3 medium Potassium 4 fast State the trend in reactivity as you go down Group 1 based on this table.
(b)[1 mark]Describe how the number of electron shells changes across the metals in the table.
(c)[1 mark]Explain, using the data, why potassium reacts faster than sodium.
Question 6
1 mark · Easy
Answer and see the solution →Which Group 1 element has its outer electron closest to the nucleus? Give the element's name.
Question 7
3 marks · Easy
Answer and see the solution →(a)[2 marks]Fill in the table below for the first three Group 1 metals.
Metal Electronic configuration Lithium Sodium Potassium (b)[1 mark]State which of these metals is most reactive.
Question 8
2 marks · Easy
Answer and see the solution →A sodium atom has 11 electrons. Calculate the number of electrons in its outer shell.
Question 9
2 marks · Normal
Answer and see the solution →State how the electronic configuration changes as you go down Group 1, and explain how this relates to the change in reactivity.
Question 10
4 marks · Normal
Answer and see the solution →The Group 1 elements react by losing their single outer electron.
(a)[1 mark]Draw and label the electronic configuration for a sodium atom (Na).
(b)[2 marks]Explain, in terms of its electronic configuration, why sodium is more reactive than lithium.
(c)[1 mark]State what happens to the attraction between the nucleus and outer electron as you move from sodium to potassium.