The electronic configurations of sodium and potassium are:
When sodium and potassium react with water, they both form positive (1+1+1+) ions by losing their outer-shell electron.
Suggest an explanation, in terms of their electronic configurations, why potassium is more reactive than sodium.
75 exam-style questions on Edexcel GCSE Chemistry 7.1 Group 1, covering 7.1.1 Classifying elements by group in the periodic table and 7.1.2 Properties and reactions of the alkali metals. Each one has a worked solution and a mark scheme showing where the marks go.