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Alkali metals are vely reactive metal elements. a. What valence electron number do they all have in common?

b. How does their position on the Periodic Table relate to their valence electrons?

c. Use the octet rule to explain how this feature makes them reactive.

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Answer/ Explanation: a. Alkali metals have one valence electron in common.

b. The position of alkali metals on the Periodic Table relates to their valence electrons because they are found in Group 1, which is the first column on the left side of the table. The group number indicates the number of valence electrons an element has, and in the case of alkali metals, it is always one.

c. The octet rule states that atoms tend to gain, lose, or share electrons in order to achieve a stable electron configuration with eight valence electrons (except for hydrogen and helium, which strive for two). Alkali metals have one valence electron, so they are highly reactive because they can easily lose that electron to achieve a stable configuration. By losing one electron, they attain a stable noble gas electron configuration similar to that of the nearest noble gas element in the previous period. This process releases a significant amount of energy, making alkali metals highly reactive, especially with non-metals that can gain the electron.

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