A teacher wants to demonstrate the reactions of three alkali metals (lithium, sodium, and potassium) with water to a class.
Before the demonstration, they construct a table of expected observations:
| Metal | Behavior on water | Speed of movement | Other observations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lithium | Floats on the surface | Slow | Fizzes steadily, gradually dissolves |
| Sodium | Floats and melts into a sphere | Fast | Fizzes rapidly, moves quickly across the surface |
| Potassium | Floats and melts | Very fast | Fizzes violently, burns with a lilac flame |
Describe, in detail, how the teacher should safely perform this demonstration and explain how the observations from the table show the order of reactivity of the three metals.
Practise Edexcel GCSE Chemistry Group 1 with exam-style questions for Foundation and Higher tier. 51 questions, matched to the Edexcel GCSE Chemistry (1CH0) specification and written in Paper 1 and Paper 2 style. Every question includes a full worked solution and mark scheme, so you can see where marks are awarded rather than just whether you got the answer right.
