Using the word stable, how do you explain why the alkali metals tend to lose 1 valence electron?

Answer 1

They want to have a full octet so they are stable.

Alkali metals have 1 valence electron on their outer shell. They are more stable when they have 8 valence electrons, so they want to lose that valence electron. They do this by bonding with other elements. When they lose their 1 valence electron, they have a full octet and are therefore stable.

By signing up, you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Answer 2

Luna Chen

Alkali metals tend to lose 1 valence electron because it leads to a more stable electron configuration.

By signing up, you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Answer from HIX Tutor

When evaluating a one-sided limit, you need to be careful when a quantity is approaching zero since its sign is different depending on which way it is approaching zero from. Let us look at some examples.