Question

Which of the following statements is true? A. Lithium will react to give up an electron however that electron can only be used to make an anion of a metal B. Lithium is most easily oxidized of the metals listed on the activity series and therefore it will most easily give electrons to metal cations C. Lithium is least easily oxidized of the metals listed on the activity series and therefore it is least likely to give electrons to metal cations D. Lithium will only react with metal ions that require the addition of one electron because of the fact that lithium only gives up one electron

Answer 1

Statement B is true, as lithium is most easily oxidized among metals in the activity series and readily donates its lone valence electron to form cations.

Step-by-step explanation:

The correct statement is B: Lithium is most easily oxidized of the metals listed on the activity series and therefore it will most easily give electrons to metal cations. This is true because lithium is at the top of the activity series, indicating it has a greater tendency to lose electrons compared to other metals. Since lithium has only one valence electron, it can readily give up that electron to form a Li+ cation. Lithium's reactivity increases with decreasing atomic number due to the ease of losing this lone valence electron. Additionally, while lithium will often donate its electron in reactions, it isn't limited to reacting with metal ions that require just one electron.

Answer 2

Answer: The following statements are true:

• Lithium is least easily oxidized of the metals listed on the activity series and therefore it is least likely to give electrons to metal cations

• Lithium will only react with metal ions that require the addition of one electron because of the fact that lithium only gives up one electron

Step-by-step explanation:

When a neutral atom loses an electron then it forms a positive ion due to the decrease in number of electrons. This positive ion is also known as cation.

For example, atomic number of lithium is 3 and its electronic configuration is
`1s^(2)2s^(1)`. It will attain stability by losing an electron.

Whereas when a neutral atom tends to gain electrons then it acquires a negative change and hence leads to the formation of a negative ion. This negative ion is also known as anion.

As the atomic size of lithium is very small as compared to other elements of its group. So, it is difficult to extract an electron from lithium atom hence, it is not easily oxidized.

Therefore, we can conclude that the following statements are true:

• Lithium is least easily oxidized of the metals listed on the activity series and therefore it is least likely to give electrons to metal cations.

• Lithium will only react with metal ions that require the addition of one electron because of the fact that lithium only gives up one electron.