Why is rb more reactive than na

Remember, metals are found on the left hand side of the Periodic Table. See larger version of the periodic table here. In general, the reactivity of metals increases as you move towards the bottom left of the periodic table.

Let's try a few comparisons to see if you understand this periodic trend. Use the periodic table below to help you. Commercially prepared sodium chloride is either mined in the form of halite, from deposits formed by ancient, dried-out sea beds, or by the evaporation of water from sea water. Sodium chloride is subjected to electrolysis in an apparatus called a Downs cell, which produces sodium metal and chlorine gas; the construction of the cell is designed to keep the sodium and chlorine separate from each other as they are produced.

Sodium carbonate, Na 2 CO 3 , also known as soda or soda ash, has been used for centuries in washing clothes it helps to remove highly charged metal cations, such as calcium and magnesium, from hard water and in the manufacture of glass, paper, and detergents. Sodium hydroxide, NaOH, also known as caustic soda or lye, is a strong base; it is used in drain cleaners, and in the manufacture of detergents sodium hydroxide breaks down triglycerides — fats and oils such as lard, shortening, olive oil, vegetable oils, etc.

Sodium bicarbonate, NaHCO 3 , also known as sodium hydrogen carbonate, is the main ingredient in baking soda, and is used as a leavening agent in the making of bread and other baked goods. Potassium is a soft, silvery metal that reacts extremely vigorously with water, and tarnishes rapidly in air. Its name is derived from the English word "potash," for potassium carbonate, a compound found in high concentrations in wood ashes.

The symbol "K" is derived from the Latin name for the element, kalium. Potassium is the eighth most abundant element in the Earth's crust 2. Potassium is essential for plant growth, and is heavily used in fertilizers. In the body, potassium plays a vital role in the contraction of muscle tissue; the movement of sodium and potassium ions in nerve cells plays a major role in the transmission of nerve impulses.

When heated, potassium salts glow with a purple color, and are used in fireworks. Like sodium, metallic potassium is usually stored under mineral oil or some other hydrocarbon; it can also react with oxygen in dry air to produce potassium superoxide, KO 2 see below.

Potassium undergoes a a reaction with water similar to that of sodium; the products of the reaction are potassium hydroxide and hydrogen gas. This reaction releases a great deal of heat energy, often igniting the hydrogen gas that is produced. Potassium, which accounts for 0. It undergoes electron capture to produce argon; a comparison of the ratio of potassium to argon in rocks can be used to determine the age of the rock potassium-argon dating.

Trace amounts of potassium are found in all sources of potassium; in a typical human, about , atoms of potassium decay every second. The energy released by the decay of potassium is partially responsible for the interior heat of the Earth, along with the decays of thorium and uranium. There are a number of widely-used compounds of potassium. Potassium chloride, KCl, is used in salt substitutes mixed with sodium chloride to improve its flavor , and in fertilizers; massive amounts of potassium chloride are used in lethal injections to cause rapid death by cardiac arrest.

Potassium carbonate, K 2 CO 3 , also known as potash, is used in the manufacture of glass. Potassium hydroxide, KOH, also known as caustic potash, is used in making soaps and detergents. Potassium nitrate, KNO 3 , also known as saltpeter, is a powerful oxidizer, and is one of the ingredients of gunpowder.

Potassium chlorate, KClO 3 , is a very powerful oxidizer, and is used in match heads and fireworks. Potassium superoxide, KO 2 , reacts with carbon dioxide to produce potassium carbonate and oxygen gas; it is used in rebreathers and respiration equipment to generate oxygen, and is also used in mines, submarines, and spacecraft. Rubidium is a soft, white metal; it is similar to sodium and potassium in its reaction with water, but the reaction is even more violently exothermic.

Its name is derived from the Latin word for deep red ruby , rubidius. It is found in the Earth's crust at a concentration of 90 ppm, making it the 22nd most abundant element. It is not found in any unique minerals, but is present in trace amounts in lepidolite, pollucite, carnallite, zinnwaldite, and leucite.

Metallic rubidium spontaneously combusts in air. In flame tests, rubidium salts produce a reddish-violet color, and are sometimes used in fireworks. Rubidium is used in the manufacture of vacuum tubes and cathode ray tubes CRTs , and is used in some atomic clocks. Cesium undergoes the same reaction in water as lithium, sodium, and potassium, but even more violently; because cesium is a very large atom, the outermost electron is lost very easily, and the process is extremely exothermic.

The name is derived from the Latin word caesius , which means "sky blue," because salts of cesium produce a blue color when heated. Cesium is found in the Earth's crust at a concentration of 3 ppm, making it the 46th most abundant element. The main ore of cesium is pollucite [CsAlSi 2 O 6 ]; the refining of pure cesium is made even more difficult by the presence of trace amounts of rubidium in the ore, which is chemically very similar to cesium and thus difficult to separate.

Because cesium is so reactive, it is used as a "getter" to remove all traces of other gases from vacuum chambers, cathode ray tubes, and vacuum tubes. Some cesium salts give off light when exposed to X-rays and gamma rays; they are also used in photoelectric cells. Cesium is used in atomic clocks. In the SI system, a second is defined as 9,,, cycles of the radiation corresponding to the energy difference between the ground state and one of the excited states of the cesium atom.

Radioactive cesium is produced in the testing of nuclear weapons, and in nuclear power plants; the explosion at the Chernobyl power plant in released large amounts of cesium, which contaminated a great deal of Western Europe. Cesium has a half-life of 30 years, and undergoes beta-decay to produce bariumm, a metastable isotope of barium with a half-life of 2. Since cesium ions are so heavy, research on the use of cesium in ion propulsion drives aboard spacecraft and satellites is being conducted.

Francium is an extremely rare, radioactive metal. Its is named for France, the country in which it was first isolated. It is found in the Earth's crust only in trace amounts, and is one of the least abundant elements on the Earth.

Traces of it are found in uranium ores, where it is produced in the decay series of uranium; there is probably only about 20 to 30 grams of naturally-occurring francium in the entire Earth. All of the isotopes of francium are radioactive, and most have half-lives of less than five minutes; the longest-lived isotope francium has a half-life of The possible existence of francium was predicted by Mendeleev from a gap in his periodic table, but the element wasn't discovered until , by Marguerite Perey, an assistant to Marie Curie at the Radium Institute in Paris.

John Emsley, The Elements , 3rd edition. Oxford: Clarendon Press, Oxford: Oxford University Press, The table shows observations when lithium, sodium and potassium are added to water.

Notice that the reactivity of these metals increases going down the group. This pattern is seen with all reactions of group 1 elements. For example, the reaction of caesium with chlorine is more vigorous than the reaction of potassium with chlorine.

Rubidium is placed below potassium in group 1. Predict what is seen when rubidium is added to water. Rubidium should melt very quickly. It should burn very violently, and disappear almost instantly with an explosion.

When an element in group 1 takes part in a reaction, its atoms lose their outer electron and form positively charged ions , called cations. The more easily these cations form, the more reactive the metal. The reactivity of group 1 elements increases as you go down the group because:.