{"id":51,"date":"2024-10-24T13:17:28","date_gmt":"2024-10-24T17:17:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites.temple.edu\/chemdemo\/?p=51"},"modified":"2024-10-25T16:22:14","modified_gmt":"2024-10-25T20:22:14","slug":"alkali-metals-ionization","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sites.temple.edu\/chemdemo\/2024\/10\/24\/alkali-metals-ionization\/","title":{"rendered":"Alkali Metals & Ionization"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Purpose<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

To demonstrate that reactivity increases as valence electrons become easier to remove in alkali metals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Procedure<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
    \n
  1. Preparation:<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
      \n
    • Gather materials: Petri dish, water, phenolphthalein, freshly cut alkali metal samples (lithium, sodium, potassium), stick lighter, hexanes, and 3 L conical flasks.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
        \n
      1. Setting Up the Experiment:<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
          \n
        • Fill the Petri dish with water and add a few drops of phenolphthalein.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
            \n
          1. Adding Lithium:<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
              \n
            • Take a freshly cut half lentil-sized sample of lithium and add it to the dish.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
            • Observe the fizzing and movement of lithium in the water.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
                \n
              1. Adding Sodium:<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
                  \n
                • Repeat the process with sodium, observing the reaction.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
                    \n
                  1. Adding Potassium:<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
                      \n
                    • Carefully add potassium to the dish. Note that potassium may catch fire upon reaction.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
                        \n
                      1. Igniting Hydrogen:<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
                          \n
                        • The hydrogen gas produced by the reactions of sodium and lithium can be ignited using a stick lighter, resulting in colored flames.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
                            \n
                          1. Preparation of Metals:<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
                              \n
                            • Rinse the alkali metals with hexanes to remove any mineral oil.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                            • Use a paper towel to absorb excess oil from the metals before adding them to the water.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
                                \n
                              1. Safety Considerations:<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
                                  \n
                                • Be cautious with the size of the metal pieces.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                                • If using larger samples, consider conducting the experiment in a beaker with a cover.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                                • Watch for smoke if any mineral oil is not completely removed.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
                                    \n
                                  1. Using Conical Flasks:<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
                                      \n
                                    • Use 3 L conical flasks to trap hydrogen gas.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                                    • Invert a paper cup on the flask to trap the hydrogen gas, which can ignite.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

                                      Safety Precautions<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
                                        \n
                                      • Only bring small amounts of alkali metals to the experiment.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                                      • Handle all materials with care to prevent accidents, especially with potassium.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                                      • Ensure proper ventilation when conducting the experiment.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

                                        Purpose To demonstrate that reactivity increases as valence electrons become easier to remove in alkali metals. Procedure Safety Precautions<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":36673,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-51","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-demonstrations","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.temple.edu\/chemdemo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.temple.edu\/chemdemo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.temple.edu\/chemdemo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.temple.edu\/chemdemo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/36673"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.temple.edu\/chemdemo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=51"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/sites.temple.edu\/chemdemo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":52,"href":"https:\/\/sites.temple.edu\/chemdemo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51\/revisions\/52"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.temple.edu\/chemdemo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=51"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.temple.edu\/chemdemo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=51"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.temple.edu\/chemdemo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=51"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}