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Ch.7 - Periodic Properties of the Elements
Chapter 7, Problem 102

Which of the following is the expected product of the reaction of K(s) and H2(g)? (i) KH(s), (ii) K2H(s), (iii) KH2(s), (iv) K2H2(s), or (v) K(s) and H2(g) will not react with one another.

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Key Concepts

Here are the essential concepts you must grasp in order to answer the question correctly.

Reactivity of Alkali Metals

Alkali metals, such as potassium (K), are highly reactive, especially with nonmetals like hydrogen (H). When alkali metals react with hydrogen gas, they typically form metal hydrides. This reactivity is due to their low ionization energy, which allows them to easily lose their outermost electron and form positive ions.
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Formation of Metal Hydrides

Metal hydrides are compounds formed when metals react with hydrogen. In the case of potassium, the expected product is potassium hydride (KH). This compound consists of potassium ions (K+) and hydride ions (H-), showcasing the typical stoichiometry of one metal atom reacting with one hydrogen molecule.
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Stoichiometry of Chemical Reactions

Stoichiometry involves the calculation of reactants and products in chemical reactions based on the conservation of mass. In the reaction between potassium and hydrogen, the balanced equation indicates that two potassium atoms react with one hydrogen molecule to produce two units of potassium hydride (2K + H2 → 2KH). Understanding stoichiometry is essential for predicting the correct products of a reaction.
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Related Practice
Textbook Question

Hydrogen is an unusual element because it behaves in some ways like the alkali metal elements and in other ways like nonmetals. Its properties can be explained in part by its electron configuration and by the values for its ionization energy and electron affinity. (a) Explain why the electron affinity of hydrogen is much closer to the values for the alkali elements than for the halogens.

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Textbook Question

The first ionization energy of the oxygen molecule is the energy required for the following process: O21g2¡O2 +1g2 + e- The energy needed for this process is 1175 kJ>mol, very similar to the first ionization energy of Xe. Would you expect O2 to react with F2? If so, suggest a product or products of this reaction.

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Textbook Question

It is possible to define metallic character as we do in this book and base it on the reactivity of the element and the ease with which it loses electrons. Alternatively, one could measure how well electricity is conducted by each of the elements to determine how 'metallic' the elements are. On the basis of conductivity, there is not much of a trend in the periodic table: Silver is the most conductive metal, and manganese the least. Look up the first ionization energies of silver and manganese; which of these two elements would you call more metallic based on the way we define it in this book?

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Textbook Question

A historian discovers a nineteenth-century notebook in which some observations, dated 1822, were recorded on a substance thought to be a new element. Here are some of the data recorded in the notebook: 'Ductile, silver-white, metallic looking. Softer than lead. Unaffected by water. Stable in air. Melting point: 153 °C. Density: 7.3 g>cm3. Electrical conductivity: 20% that of copper. Hardness: About 1% as hard as iron. When 4.20 g of the unknown is heated in an excess of oxygen, 5.08 g of a white solid is formed. The solid could be sublimed by heating to over 800 °C.' (a) Using information in the text and the CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics, and making allowances for possible variations in numbers from current values, identify the element reported.

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Textbook Question

We will see in Chapter 12 that semiconductors are materials that conduct electricity better than nonmetals but not as well as metals. The only two elements in the periodic table that are technologically useful semiconductors are silicon and germanium. Integrated circuits in computer chips today are based on silicon. Compound semiconductors are also used in the electronics industry. Examples are gallium arsenide, GaAs; gallium phosphide, GaP; cadmium sulfide, CdS; and cadmium selenide, CdSe. (a) What is the relationship between the compound semiconductors' compositions and the positions of their elements on the periodic table relative to Si and Ge?

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Textbook Question

We will see in Chapter 12 that semiconductors are materials that conduct electricity better than nonmetals but not as well as metals. The only two elements in the periodic table that are technologically useful semiconductors are silicon and germanium. Integrated circuits in computer chips today are based on silicon. Compound semiconductors are also used in the electronics industry. Examples are gallium arsenide, GaAs; gallium phosphide, GaP; cadmium sulfide, CdS; and cadmium selenide, CdSe. (b) Workers in the semiconductor industry refer to 'II–VI' and 'III–V' materials, using Roman numerals. Can you identify which compound semiconductors are II–VI and which are III–V?

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