Alkali metals are called so because their oxides and hydroxides are strong alkali in nature.

Alkaline earth metals are called so because their oxides and hydroxides are alkali in nature and
found in earth crust.
Beryllium is not alkaline earth metal but belongs to group 2.
Among the alkali metals sodium and potassium are abundant and lithium, rubidium and caesium
have much lower abundances.Francium is highly
radioactive; its longest-lived isotope 223Fr has a half-life of only 21 minutes. Of the alkaline
earth metals calcium and magnesium rank fifth and sixth in abundance respectively in the
earth’s crust. Strontium and barium have much
lower abundances. Beryllium is rare and radium is the rarest of all comprising only 10 ^-10 per
cent of igneous rocks

Alkali metals readily lose electron to give monovalent M+ ions. Hence they
are never found in free state in nature.

Li+ has maximum degree of hydration and

for this reason lithium salts are mostly
hydrated, e.g., LiCl· 2H2O
Alkali metals can therefore, be detected by
the respective flame tests and can be
determined by flame photometry or atomic
absorption spectroscopy.
This property makes caesium and potassium
useful as electrodes in photoelectric cells.

Alkali metal because of their high reactivity towards air and water, alkali metals are normally
kept in kerosene oil.
In all these oxides the oxidation state of the
alkali metal is +1. Lithium shows exceptional
behaviour in reacting directly with nitrogen of
air to form the nitride, Li3N as well.
It may be noted that although lithium has
most negative E value , its reaction with water is less vigorous than that of sodium which has
the least negative E value among the alkali metals. This behaviour of lithium is attributed to its
small size and very high hydration energy.
Other metals of the group react explosively
with water.
They also react with proton donors such
as alcohol, gaseous ammonia and alkynes.
Lithium requires much higher heat to react with dihydrogen and form hydride than other alkali
elements. Alkali metal hydrides are
ionic solids with high melting points.
The alkali metals are strong reducing agents, lithium being the most and sodium the least
powerful
The standard electrode potential (E) is determined by :
1) sublimation
2) ionisation enthalpy
3) hydration enthalpy

Lithium metal is used to make useful alloys, for example with lead to make ‘white metal’
bearings for motor engines, with aluminium to make aircraft parts, and with magnesium
to make armour plates. It is used in thermonuclear reactions. Lithium is also used to make
electrochemical cells. Sodium is used to make a Na/Pb alloy needed to make PbEt4 and
PbMe4. These organolead compounds were earlier used as anti-knock additives to petrol,but
nowadays vehicles use lead-free petrol. Liquid sodium metal is used as a coolant in fast breeder
nuclear reactors. Potassium has a vital role in biological systems. Potassium chloride is used as
a fertilizer. Potassium hydroxide is used in the manufacture of soft soap. It is also used as an
excellent absorbent of carbon dioxide. Caesium is used in devising photoelectric cells.

On combustion in excess of air, lithium forms mainly the oxide, Li2O (plus some peroxide
Li2O2), sodium forms the peroxide, Na2O2 (andsome superoxide NaO2) whilst potassium,
rubidium and caesium form the superoxides,MO2.

Sodium peroxide is widely used

as an oxidising agent in inorganic chemistry.

Halides
The alkali metal halides, MX, (X=F,Cl,Br,I) are all high melting, colourless crystalline solids.
They can be prepared by the reaction of the appropriate oxide, hydroxide or carbonate with
aqueous hydrohalic acid (HX).
All of these halides have high negative enthalpies of formation; the ∆f H values for fluoride
become less negative as we go down the group,whilst the reverse is true for ∆f H for
chlorides,bromides and iodides.
For a given metal∆fH always becomes less negative from fluoride to iodide.
The melting and boiling points always follow the trend: fluoride > chloride > bromide> iodide. All
these halides are soluble in water.
The low solubility of LiF in water is due to its high lattice enthalpy whereas the low solubility of
CsI is due to smaller hydration enthalpy of its two ions.

Other halides of lithium are solublein ethanol, acetone and ethylacetate; LiCl is
soluble in pyridine also.

Lithium hydrogen carbonate does not exist as a solid.Lithium is least reactive but the strongest
reducing agent among all the alkali metals.
Lithium unlike other alkali metals forms no ethynide on reaction with ethyne.Alkali hydroxides
are soluble in water and don't decompose on heating except lithium.
Alkaline earth metal hydroxides are generally insoluble.
Alkaline earth metal hydroxides decompose on heating.

Na2CO3 uses :
(i) It is used in water softening, laundering
and cleaning.
(ii) It is used in the manufacture of glass,
soap, borax and caustic soda.
(iii) It is used in paper, paints and textile
industries.
(iv) It is an important laboratory reagent both
in qualitative and quantitative analysis.

NaCl uses :
(i) It is used as a common salt or table salt for
domestic purpose.
(ii) It is used for the preparation of Na2O2,
NaOH and Na2CO3.

NaOH Uses: It is used in (i) the manufacture of soap,

paper, artificial silk and a number of chemicals,
(ii) in petroleum refining, (iii) in the purification
of bauxite, (iv) in the textile industries for
mercerising cotton fabrics, (v) for the
preparation of pure fats and oils, and (vi) as a
laboratory reagent.
The sodium hydroxide solution at the surface
reacts with the CO2 in the atmosphere to form
Na2CO3.

Sodium hydrogencarbonate is a mild

antiseptic for skin infections. It is used in fire
extinguishers.
Solvay process cannot be extended to the
manufacture of potassium carbonate because
potassium hydrogencarbonate is too soluble
to be precipitated by the addition of
ammonium hydrogencarbonate to a saturated
solution of potassium chloride.
The alkaline earth metals are less reactive than
the alkali metals.

Reactivity towards air and water:

Beryllium and magnesium are kinetically inert
to oxygen and water because of the formation
of an oxide film on their surface. However,
powdered beryllium burns brilliantly on
ignition in air to give BeO and Be3N2.
Magnesium is more electropositive and burns
with dazzling brilliance in air to give MgO and
Mg3N2. Calcium, strontium and barium are
readily attacked by air to form the oxide and
nitride. They also react with water with
increasing vigour even in cold to form
hydroxides.

Beryllium is used in the manufacture of alloys.

Copper -beryllium alloys are used in the
preparation of high strength springs. Metallic
beryllium is used for making windows of
X-ray tubes. Magnesium forms alloys with
aluminium, zinc, manganese and tin.
Magnesium-aluminium alloys being light in
mass are used in air-craft construction.
Magnesium (powder and ribbon) is used in
flash powders and bulbs, incendiary bombs
and signals. A suspension of magnesium
hydroxide in water (called milk of magnesia)
is used as antacid in medicine. Magnesium
carbonate is an ingredient of toothpaste.
Calcium is used in the extraction of metals from
oxides which are difficult to reduce with
carbon. Calcium and barium metals, owing
to their reactivity with oxygen and nitrogen at
elevated temperatures, have often been used
to remove air from vacuum tubes. Radium
salts are used in radiotherapy, for example, in
the treatment of cancer.
In the vapour phase BeCl2 tends to form a
chloro-bridged dimer which dissociates into the
linear monomer at high temperatures of the
order of 1200 K.
The fluorides are relatively less soluble than the
chlorides owing to their high lattice energies.

Problem 10.4
Why does the solubility of alkaline earth
metal hydroxides in water increase down
the group?
Solution
Among alkaline earth metal hydroxides,
the anion being common the cationic
radius will influence the lattice enthalpy.
Since lattice enthalpy decreases much
more than the hydration enthalpy with
increasing ionic size, the solubility
increases as we go down the group.

Problem 10.5
Why does the solubility of alkaline earth
metal carbonates and sulphates in water
decrease down the group?
Solution
The size of anions being much larger
compared to cations, the lattice enthalpy
will remain almost constant within a
particular group. Since the hydration
enthalpies decrease down the group,
solubility will decrease as found for
alkaline earth metal carbonates and
sulphates.

CaO
The addition of limited amount of water
breaks the lump of lime. This process is called
slaking of lime. Quick lime slaked with soda
gives solid sodalime. Being a basic oxide, it
combines with acidic oxides at high
temperature.
Uses:
(i) It is an important primary material for
manufacturing cement and is the cheapest
form of alkali.
(ii) It is used in the manufacture of sodium
carbonate from caustic soda.
(iii) It is employed in the purification of sugar
and in the manufacture of dye stuffs.

Ca(OH)2
Uses
(i)It is used in the preparation of mortar, a
building material.
(ii) It is used in white wash due to its
disinfectant nature.
(iii) It is used in glass making, in tanning
industry, for the preparation of bleaching
powder and for purification of sugar

CaCO3
Reaction:

Excess of carbon dioxide should be

avoided since this leads to the formation of
water soluble calcium hydrogencarbonate.
Calcium carbonate is a white fluffy powder.
It is almost insoluble in water. When heated
to 1200 K, it decomposes to evolve carbon
dioxide.
It reacts with dilute acid to liberate carbon
dioxide.

Uses:
It is used as a building material in the form of
marble and in the manufacture of quick lime.
Calcium carbonate along with magnesium
carbonate is used as a flux in the extraction of
metals such as iron. Specially precipitated
CaCO3 is extensively used in the manufacture
of high quality paper. It is also used as an
antacid, mild abrasive in tooth paste, a
constituent of chewing gum, and a filler in
cosmetics.

Plaster of paris uses :

The largest use of Plaster of Paris is in the
building industry as well as plasters. It is used
for immobilising the affected part of organ where
there is a bone fracture or sprain. It is also
employed in dentistry, in ornamental work and
for making casts of statues and busts.
Above 393 K, no water of crystallisation is left
and anhydrous calcium sulphate, CaSO4 is
formed. This is known as ‘dead burnt plaster’
It has a remarkable property of setting with
water. On mixing with an adequate quantity
of water it forms a plastic mass that gets into a
hard solid in 5 to 15 minutes.

Superoxides and peroxides are used in spacecraft as they release oxygen to purify air.

Hydrated halides of beryllium and magnesium when heated they hydrolyze . Ca and Sr and Ba
hydrated halides when heated they get dehydrated.

Two reactions of Na2CO3 :

Chemical bonding
C2 molecule has only net pi bonds ( 2 pi bonds ) and it is detected in vapour phase.
Sp hybridisation is also called as diagonal hybridisation.