I know Aluminum is reactive, what I want to know is why. Does it have to do with it's placement on the periodic table, amount of electrons in the different orbitals, or something different? Please help(:
This Site Might Help You. RE: Why is Aluminum so reactive? I know Aluminum is reactive, what I want to know is why. Does it have to do with it's placement on the periodic table, amount of electrons in the different orbitals, or something different? Please help(:
Because it doesn't have its valence electrons in a D-orbital, where most metals (commonly used as building materials) keep their valence electrons. The D-orbital is most stable, and doesn't demand that it complete an octet, unlike the S P orbitals. Aluminum has its valence electrons, two in the outermost S orbital (that's complete) and one in the outermost P-orbital (which can take up to 6). It typically looses all of these three electrons, and becomes the aluminum ion, to make compounds with non-metal anions. Since Oxygen is always around, aluminum can react with background O2 to make aluminum oxide. Even the purest sample of aluminum that a metallurgist can make, will inevitably be coated by a thin layer of Al2O3. Sodium/Lithium Magnesium/Beryllium are similar, but they are even more reactive. Sodium and Lithium most so. It is very difficult to obtain and keep pure samples of sodium, or any of its family members. These metals are often stored in kerosene to prevent violent reactions with oxygen from air.
