Group 1A (or IA) of the periodic table are the alkali metals: hydrogen (H), lithium (Li), sodium (Na), potassium (K), rubidium (
Rb), cesium (Cs), and francium (Fr). These are (except for hydrogen) soft, shiny, low-melting, highly reactive metals, which tarnish when exposed to air. The name comes from the fact that when these metals or their oxides are dissolved in water, a basic (alkaline) solution results. Because the alkali metals are very reactive, they are seldom (if ever) found in their elemental form in nature, and are usually found as ionic compounds (except for hydrogen).The alkali metals have only one valence electron in their highest-energy orbitals (ns1). In their respective periods, they are the largest elements and have the lowest ionization energies. The valence electron is easily lost, forming an ion with a_________
