Question

why are alkali metals soft and volatile​

Answer 1

Answer:

Due to the presence of weak metallic bonding alkali metals are soft and can be cut with a knife. ii) Reactivity ofmetals depends on ionization energy or ionization enthalpy. Alkali metals have large atomic size with only one valence electron. Terefore, they have weak metallic bonding between the atoms.

Explanation:

Answer 2

Explanation:

• Due to the presence of weak metallic bonding alkali metals are soft and can be cut with a knife. ii) Reactivity ofmetals depends on ionization energy or ionization enthalpy. Alkali metals have large atomic size with only one valence electron. Terefore, they have weak metallic bonding between the atoms.

• There is only single electron in the valence shell of alkali metals due to which the metallic bonding is weak in nature. Hence, alkali metals are soft. There softness increases with increasing atomic numer (increasing period number) as metallic bonding becomes still more weaker.

• Alkali metals have only one valence electron per metal atom. The binding energies in the closed packed metal lattice are weak. That is why alkali metals are soft and volatile. <br> b. Alkali metals have larger and the valence shell electron
• is loosely bond and can be removed easily by providing low amount of energy. That is why the first ionisation enthalpies of all alkali metals are low.