CHEMISTRY GUIDE

This page looks at some compounds of the Group 1 elements (lithium, sodium, potassium, rubidium and caesium) - limited to various bits and pieces required by various UK A level syllabuses. You will find some information about the nitrates, carbonates, hydrogencarbonates and hydrides of the metals. We will first look at what happens to some of the compounds on heating, and then their solubility. At the end, you will find a section about the preparation and reactions of the metal hydrides. The effect of heat on Group 1 compounds The facts Group 1 compounds are more stable to heat than the corresponding compounds in Group 2. You will often find that the lithium compounds behave similarly to Group 2 compounds, but the rest of Group 1 are in some way different. Heating the nitrates Most nitrates tend to decompose on heating to give the metal oxide, brown fumes of nitrogen dioxide, and oxygen. For example, a typical Group 2 nitrate like...