Reactions of Main Group Elements with Hydrogen
- Page ID
- 604

Hydrogen Reactions
Hydrides are binary compounds of hydrogen. There are three possible hydrides that can be formed: ionic hydrides, covalent hydrides, and metallic hydrides. Metallic hydrides form when hydrogen reacts with transition metals, therefore they will not be introduced in this module.
Hydrogen and the S-Block
Ionic hydrides form when hydrogen reacts with s-block metals, not including Be and Mg. These s-block elements are found in Group 1 and Group 2 of the periodic table and are the most active metals. Group 1 metals are referred to as alkali metals and have a charge of +1 Group 2 metals are referred to as alkaline earth metals and have a charge of +2. Both Group 1 and Group 2 metals have low electronegativity values (less than 1.2).
References
- Ebbing, Darrell D., and Steven D. Gammon. General Chemistry. 9th. Brooks/Cole, 2009. 440-442, 920-924, 949-952. Print.
- Henderson, W. Main Group Chemistry. Illustrated. 3. Royal Society of Chemistry, 2000. 20-31. Print.
- Thomas, Jens. Noble Gases. Marshall Cavendish Corporation, 2003. 5. Print.
Problems
- Write the equation of the reaction between hydrogen and strontium.
- Write the equation of the reaction between hydrogen and phosphorus.
- Write the equation of the reaction between hydrogen and potassium.
- Write the equation of the reaction between hydrogen and bromine.
- Write 3 possible hydrocarbons that contains 3 carbons atoms.
Answers
- Sr(s) + H2(s) → SrH2(s)
- P2(g) + 3H2(g) → 2PH3(g)
- 2K(s) + H2(g) → 2KH(s)
- H2(g) +Br2(g) → 2HBr(g)
- C3H8, C3H6, C3H4 ....answers may vary