Which property distinguishes potassium from a typical transition metal?
Question 1 Report
Which property distinguishes potassium from a typical transition metal?
Answer Details
Potassium is a Group I metal. Group I metals are soft, have low densities (potassium floats on water) and react vigorously with water and acids. Transition metals such as iron, copper and nickel are the opposite: dense, hard, high melting, and much less reactive.
So the property that separates potassium from a typical transition metal is its low density combined with high reactivity.
The other statements describe transition metals, not potassium. A very high melting point, coloured compounds and catalytic behaviour are all transition-metal features. Potassium melts at only about 63 °C, its compounds such as potassium nitrate are white, and it is not used as a catalyst. When a question asks what distinguishes a metal, check that the property named genuinely belongs to that metal.
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