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Alkali. In chemistry, an alkali (/ ˈælkəlaɪ /; from the Arabic word al-qāly, القلوي) is a basic, ionic salt of an alkali metal or an alkaline earth metal. An alkali can also be defined as a base that dissolves in water. A solution of a soluble base has a pH greater than 7.0. The adjective alkaline, and less often, alkalescent, is ...
The alkali metals also react with water to form strongly alkaline hydroxides and thus should be handled with great care. The heavier alkali metals react more vigorously than the lighter ones; for example, when dropped into water, caesium produces a larger explosion than potassium if the same number of moles of each metal is used.
The difference between a basic salt and an alkali is that an alkali is the soluble hydroxide compound of an alkali metal or an alkaline earth metal. A basic salt is any salt that hydrolyzes to form a basic solution. Another definition of a basic salt would be a salt that contains amounts of both hydroxide and other anions. White lead is an ...
Alkaline earth metal. The alkaline earth metals are six chemical elements in group 2 of the periodic table. They are beryllium (Be), magnesium (Mg), calcium (Ca), strontium (Sr), barium (Ba), and radium (Ra). [1] The elements have very similar properties: they are all shiny, silvery-white, somewhat reactive metals at standard temperature and ...
Notable examples include alkali metals, lithium through caesium, and alkaline earth metals, magnesium through barium. Some water-reactive substances are also pyrophoric, like organometallics and sulfuric acid, and should be kept away from moisture. The use of acid-resistant gloves and face shield are required and should be handled in fume hoods ...
Lithium oxide (Li 2 O) is the lightest alkali metal oxide and a white solid. It melts at 1570 °C. Sodium oxide (Na 2 O) is a white solid that melts at 1132 °C and decomposes at 1950 °C. It is a component of glass. Potassium oxide (K 2 O) is a pale yellow solid that decomposes at 350 °C.
Alkali hydroxides are formed in the reaction between alkali metals and water. A typical school demonstration demonstrates what happens when a piece of an alkali metal is introduced to a bowl of water. A vigorous reaction occurs, producing hydrogen gas and the specific alkali hydroxide. For example, if sodium is the alkali metal: Sodium ...
Resonance stabilization, however, enables weaker bases such as carboxylates; for example, sodium acetate is a weak base. Strong bases A strong base is a basic chemical compound that can remove a proton (H + ) from (or deprotonate ) a molecule of even a very weak acid (such as water) in an acid–base reaction.