Magnesium is an element that belongs to group 2a of the periodic table. It is a shiny, silvery colored metal that is both strong and lightweight.

In alkaline medium the color is red, in presence of magnesium, cobalt, or nickel a brilliant violet color develops.

The burning of magnesium is a reaction between the metal magnesium and oxygen in the air. A chemical change occurs forming a new compound: magnesium oxide. Burning of magnesium ribbon in a crucible: This is a different activity.

Carefully lift the lid from time to time to allow sufficient air into the crucible for the magnesium to fully oxidise without letting any magnesium oxide escape. Continue heating until the mass of the crucible reaches a constant (maximum) mass, indicating that the reaction is complete.

Set the lid slightly off-center on the crucible to allow air to enter but to prevent the magnesium oxide from escaping.

The key difference between Lithium and other alkali metals that we can tell is that the lithium is the only alkali metal that can react with nitrogen whereas the other alkali metals cannot undergo any reaction with nitrogen. Moreover, lithium cannot form an anion while other alkali metals can form anions.

Lithium

Reactivity. Lithium is part of the Group 1 Alkali Metals, which are highly reactive and are never found in their pure form in nature. This is due to their electron configuration, in that they have a single valence electron (Figure 1) which is very easily given up in order to create bonds and form compounds.

Lithium burns with a strongly red-tinged flame if heated in air. It reacts with oxygen in the air to give white lithium oxide. Lithium is the only element in this Group to form a nitride in this way.

Lithium reacts intensely with water, forming lithium hydroxide and highly flammable hydrogen. The colourless solution is highly alkalic. The exothermal reactions lasts longer than the reaction of sodium and water, which is directly below lithium in the periodic chart.

Sodium superoxide (NaO2) can be prepared with high oxygen pressures, whereas the superoxides of rubidium, potassium, and cesium can be prepared directly by combustion in air. By contrast, no superoxides have been isolated in pure form in the case of lithium or the alkaline-earth metals, although…

The lithium–air battery (Li–air) is a metal–air electrochemical cell or battery chemistry that uses oxidation of lithium at the anode and reduction of oxygen at the cathode to induce a current flow. A major market driver for batteries is the automotive sector.