Pearson Edexcel International GCSE (9–1) · CHEMISTRY · Chapter
The Alkali Metals
85 practice questions
Topics covered
Practice questions
11–20 of 36 · Easy
Question 11
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 12
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 13
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 14
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 15
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 16
2 marks · Easy
Answer and see the solution →A sodium atom has 11 electrons. Calculate the number of electrons in its outer shell.
Question 17
1 mark · Easy
Answer and see the solution →State what you would see when a piece of freshly cut lithium is left exposed to air.
Question 18
3 marks · Easy
Answer and see the solution →Sodium chloride, potassium bromide, and lithium iodide are all compounds of Group 1 metals.
(a)[1 mark]State the usual colour of sodium chloride.
(b)[1 mark]Which one of these compounds is most likely to be soluble in water?
(c)[1 mark]Explain why most Group 1 metal compounds form colourless solutions.
Question 19
2 marks · Easy
Answer and see the solution →Explain why potassium dichromate(VI) is orange, while most compounds of sodium are white or colourless.
Question 20
3 marks · Easy
Answer and see the solution →A student observes three alkali metals exposed to air. The table shows her results.
Metal Time for surface to become dull / min Lithium 8 Sodium 4 Potassium 1 (a)[1 mark]Which metal reacts fastest with air?
(b)[1 mark]Which metal reacts slowest with air?
(c)[1 mark]State the trend in reactivity of these metals with air.