What is the trend in atomic radius as you move down the group of alkali metals?
Practice Questions
Q1
What is the trend in atomic radius as you move down the group of alkali metals?
Increases
Decreases
Remains constant
Varies irregularly
Questions & Step-by-Step Solutions
What is the trend in atomic radius as you move down the group of alkali metals?
Step 1: Understand what atomic radius means. Atomic radius is the distance from the nucleus of an atom to the outermost electron.
Step 2: Identify the group of alkali metals. The alkali metals are found in Group 1 of the periodic table and include lithium (Li), sodium (Na), potassium (K), rubidium (Rb), cesium (Cs), and francium (Fr).
Step 3: Recognize that as you move down a group in the periodic table, each element has an additional electron shell compared to the one above it.
Step 4: Realize that adding more electron shells means the outermost electrons are further away from the nucleus, which increases the atomic radius.
Step 5: Conclude that as you go from lithium to francium in the alkali metals, the atomic radius gets larger.
