Abstract
This chapter discusses the chemistry of the representative metals in four convenient groupings: (1) the alkali and alkaline earth metals of representative groups I and II, (2) the zinc family elements, such as zinc, cadmium, and mercury, (3) the representative group III metals, such as aluminum, gallium, indium, and thallium, and (4) the three remaining representative group metals, such as tin, lead, and bismuth. The alkali metals, the members of the representative group I, have the highest reactivity of all metals. Atoms of those elements easily give up their single valence electrons to form monopositive ions, such as Na + and K + , which have noble gas configurations. Those metals are highly electropositive. The alkali metals form ionic compounds in virtually all of their reactions. The alkaline earth metals—representative group II, also known as the beryllium family elements—also have a high degree of reactivity, second only to that of their Group I neighbors. The chapter describes some commercially important alkali and alkaline earth metal compounds and their uses. It explains the principal steps in winning a metal from an ore.
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