• Consequently, one
would expect that these elements would readily lose one electron (Group IA) or two
electrons (Group IIA), forming M+ or
M2+ cations, respectively, which have stable noble gas configurations.
eg11Na 1s22s22p63s1 ̃ Na+ 1s22s22p6 = [10Ne]
• These elements then react with O2 (21% of the air) to form oxides & with H2O (70% of the Earth’s
surface) to form hydroxides.
• We will study the chemistry of the oxides
& hydroxides to build up an understanding of the trends in reactivity and properties as we go across and
down the periodic table.