Final answer:
Alkali Metals (Group 1) like to pair with Halogens (Group 17) due to their reactivity. Alkali Metals easily give up their single s electron, while Halogens accept an extra electron to complete their valence shell, facilitating the formation of stable ionic compounds.
Step-by-step explanation:
The family of elements that likes to pair with the Halogens (Group 17) is the Alkali Metals (Group 1). Alkali Metals have one s electron in their outermost subshell (an s¹ configuration), which they can easily lose. This makes alkali metals highly reactive and they tend to form +1 ions, such as Na+ and K+. The Halogens, on the other hand, have one less electron than the noble gases (a p⁵ configuration). They are highly reactive because they need one more electron to achieve a stable noble gas electronic configuration, and tend to form -1 ions, such as Cl-. As a result, Alkali Metals and Halogens commonly react together to form ionic compounds, where alkali metals donate their outermost electron to halogens, such as in the formation of table salt (NaCl).