Answer key: Alkali Metals in Water
What did you see?
| In water | Lithium (Li) | Sodium (Na) | Potassium (K) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Does it float? | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Does it melt into a ball? | No | Yes | Yes |
| Does it catch fire? What colour? | Usually not | Sometimes, yellow-orange | Yes, lilac |
| How fast is the reaction? | Slow and steady | Fast | Very fast and violent |
Questions
Which metal reacted most violently?
Potassium.What gas makes the bubbles in all three reactions?
Hydrogen.What has the water turned into by the end?
An alkali, a metal hydroxide such as sodium hydroxide.Rubidium is below potassium. Predict how it would react with water.
Even more violently than potassium, because its outer electron is given away even more easily.