alkali metal

American  

noun

Chemistry.

1. any of the group of univalent metals including potassium, sodium, lithium, rubidium, cesium, and francium, whose hydroxides are alkalis.

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alkali metal British  

noun

1. any of the monovalent metals lithium, sodium, potassium, rubidium, caesium, and francium, belonging to group 1A of the periodic table. They are all very reactive and electropositive

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alkali metal Scientific  

1. Any of a group of soft metallic elements that form alkali solutions when they combine with water. They include lithium, sodium, potassium, rubidium, cesium, and francium. Except for cesium, which has a gold sheen, alkali metals are white. The alkali metals have one electron in their outer shell, and therefore react easily with other elements and are found in nature only in compounds.

2. See Periodic Table

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Etymology

Origin of alkali metal

First recorded in 1880–85

Example Sentences

Using the proposed method, larger alkali metal ions such as cesium could be incorporated into the perovskite structure, leading to ferroelectrics with desirable dielectric properties.

From Science Daily • Apr. 25, 2024

Characterized by its vast mirror-like surfaces and dry atmosphere, the flat hides beneath it a precious alkali metal that powers much of the modern world.

From National Geographic • Jan. 11, 2024

Initial calculations indicated that they could contain more than 280,000 tonnes of lithium, a silver-white alkali metal – enough for 10 years’ production.

From The Guardian • Dec. 8, 2020

Explain why the chemically similar alkali metal chlorides NaCl and CsCl have different structures, whereas the chemically different NaCl and MnS have the same structure.

From Textbooks • Feb. 14, 2019

Sodium.—Like potassium, this alkali metal is detected by the color which its salts give to the flame.

From The Elements of Blowpipe Analysis by Getman, Frederick Hutton