ELi5: Why do Alkali Metals react so violently with water? What is in them that makes them react this way?
In: 1
Alkali metals have one more electron than they “want”. This property is what makes them alkali metals.
This extra electron will happily join with a free hydrogen ion in water, forming normal hydrogen that floats away. The metal, now ~~negatively~~ positively charged, snaps to the leftover hydrogen-oxygen pair which was negatively charged. Lots of energy released as these things snap together, and boom.
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