Alkali Metals (Group 1)
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This group is known as the alkali metals, and they consist of elements in Group 1 of the Periodic Table such as sodium and potassium. Having one electron in their outer level makes them highly reactive and eager to lose that electron to achieve a stable electron configuration.
Group 1 elements have 1 electron on their outer shell because they belong to the alkali metal group, which has one electron in their outermost energy level. This configuration makes them highly reactive as they readily lose their outer electron to form a stable 1+ cation.
All group 1 elements have an outer configuration of ns1, where "n" represents the principal quantum number of the outer energy level and "s1" indicates one electron in the s-subshell.
Potassium has 1 electron in its outer energy level. When it forms a bond, it typically donates this electron to another element, leaving it with a full outer energy level.
Elements in Group 1 of the periodic table, known as alkali metals, have only one electron in their outer energy level and are highly reactive. They readily give up this electron to achieve a stable electron configuration. Examples include lithium, sodium, and potassium.
To start off, the electrons on the outermost energy level of an atom are called valence electrons. You can tell how many valence electrons an energy level has by finding out its group number. If an element is in group one, than it has one valence electron.