group 0 and group 1

• Groups in the periodic table

  • Group 0 - the noble gases
  • Group 1 - the alkali metals
• Noble gases

  • Include helium (He), neon (Ne) and argon (Ar)
  • They are all non-metals
  • They are very unreactive because they have stable electron structures
  • They are all colourless gases at room temperatures
  • They have very low boiling points as their atoms are not bonded together and there are only very weak forces between the atoms
  • Going down the group, the boiling points increase as the atoms get heavier and the forces between the atoms increase
• Alkali metals

  • Include lithium (Li), sodium (Na) and potassium (K)
  • Each one is a soft metal with a low density and a low melting point
  • They are very reactive as they all have one electron in their outer shell which is easily given away
  • When they react, they give away the outer shell electron forming 1+ ions (e.g. Li+, Na+, K+) in an ionic compound