Question

Which of two elements among the following will display the most similar chemical properties?
(A) aluminium calcium
(B) nickel phosphorous
(C) chlorine sulphur
(D) carbon sulphur
(E) Lithium and potassium

Answer 1

Hint: It's simple to figure out which elements have the most chemical characteristics in common. You only need to consult the Periodic Table. Chemical characteristics of elements in the same groupings (columns) are extremely comparable. Because atoms in the same group have the same number of valence electrons, this is the case (electrons in the outermost shell).

Complete Step By Step Answer:
A group (also known as a family) in chemistry is a column of chemical elements in the periodic table. The periodic table has 18 numbered groups; the f-block columns (between groups 2 and 3) are not numbered. Because most chemical properties are governed by the orbital position of the outermost electron, elements in a group have comparable physical or chemical features of their atoms' outermost electron shells (i.e., the same core charge).
The chemical elements lithium (Li), sodium (Na), potassium (K), rubidium (Rb), caesium (Cs), and francium (Fr) make up the alkali metals (Fr). They make up group 1, which is located in the s-block of the periodic table, along with hydrogen. The outermost electron of all alkali metals is in an s-orbital configuration; as a result of this shared electron configuration, their distinctive characteristics are remarkably similar. Indeed, the alkali metals are the finest illustration of periodic table group trends in characteristics, with elements displaying well-defined homologous behaviour. After its leader member, this family of elements is known as the lithium family.
Chemical characteristics are comparable among elements in the same periodic table group. Because their atoms have the same amount of electrons at the highest occupied energy level, they have the same number of electrons.
Both Li lithium and K potassium are alkali metals of the first group, and so have comparable chemical characteristics.
Hence option E is correct.

Note:
At normal temperature and pressure, the alkali metals are all lustrous, soft, and extremely reactive metals that quickly shed their outermost electrons to create cations with charge +1. Because of their suppleness, they can all be sliced easily with a knife, revealing a gleaming surface that tarnishes quickly in the air owing to oxidation by atmospheric moisture and oxygen (and in the case of lithium, nitrogen). They must be kept under oil to avoid interaction with air due to their extreme reactivity, and they are only found in nature as salts, never as free elements. The fifth alkali metal, caesium, is the most reactive of all metals.