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Electron dot diagrams show the number of valence electrons and whether they are paired or unpaired. One of the trends of the Periodic Table is that elements within the same group have the same number of valence electrons. Sodium and potassium are in the same group.

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14y ago
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15y ago

It's because potassium and sodium [salt] are in the same group on the periodic table. A group is all the list of elements going vertical in that section. A period is all the elements going horizontal. Hope I helped:]

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Q: Why do sodium and potassium have the same number of dots in their electron dot diagrams?
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Why Na is less reactive than K?

Potassium's 1 valence electron is farther away from its nucleus than sodium's 1 valence electron is from its nucleus. Potassium is one period up from sodium (well, down on the p.t.e., but up in number of energy levels), so the attraction between potassium's nucleus and outermost electron is a little less than in sodium, so that electron is more likely to go flying, which makes potassium more reactive.


What kind of diagrams are sodium oxygen and neon?

Electron Dot Diagram


What do lithium sodium potassium rubidium cesium and francium have in common?

All have the same number of valence electron (i.e., one).


Will sodium and potassium form an ionic compound?

No. They both are looking to lose an electron. One will bond with an element that will take that electron. Potassium and iodine will form ionic bonds.


Why are potassium and sodium in the first column of periodic table?

They have one valence electron.


Do sodium and potassium have similar chemical properties?

Because they have similar electron configurations.


What is the effect of decreasing the number of sodium potassium pumps?

When number of sodium-potassium pump decreased, transport of Na takes little more time. Less number of sodium-potassium more time for transport


Which element has one valenece electron?

Hydrogen, lithium, sodium, potassium, rubidium, cesium, and francium have one valence electron.


What characteristic electron configuration are shared by Lithum sodium Potassium and Rb?

suborbital (l)


Why is sodium less reactive than potassium?

Sodium and potassium are both highly reactive because they have only one outer shell electron which they lose very easily to form Na+ and K+ ions respectively. The sodium and potassium in the body are already in the form of these ions.


How can atoms of two elements that have a different number of protons have the same charge?

The charge of an atom depends on the number of protons and the number of electrons. If the number of protons and electrons is the same, which is generally regarded as the normal state, then the atom will be neutral with no charge. If there is a difference in the number, then the charge will be equal to the number of protons minus the number of electrons. As an example, both sodium and potassium will commonly lose one electron to form an ion with a +1 charge. A neutral sodium atom has 11 protons and 11 electrons while potassium will have 19 of the same. Sodium loses an electron leaving it with 10 electrons. 11-10=1. Potassium loses an electron, leaving it with 18 electrons. 19-18=1.


Why do sodium and potassium have the same number of dots in their electron dot diagrams what does this tell you about the chemistry of these two elements?

No,sodium has an atomic number of 11 therefore it has 11 electrons with the electronic configuration 2,8,1whereas potassium has 19 electrons with an electronic configuration of 2,8,8,1They both have different numbers of electrons but have the same number of electrons in their 'valence' shell ( outer most shell) as they are both in Group 1