Sodium and Potassium are stored in Kerosene. Give the reason.

By Mandeep Kumar|Updated : July 26th, 2022

Sodium and Potassium react with the water vapour present in the air that's why they are stored in kerosene. Sodium and Potassium are contained in the Group 1 of the Periodic Table.

Answer: Sodium and Potassium are stored in Kerosene because they react with the water vapour present in the air.

They are the most abundant metals among the alkali metals whereas lithium, rubidium, and caesium have much lower abundances. Monovalent sodium and potassium ions are found in large proportions in biological fluids. They are used as reducing agents because they can displace metals of lower reactivity from their compounds.

More about Sodium and Potassium

Some of the properties of Sodium and Potassium are:

  • They react violently with cold water.

  • The reaction is so violent and exothermic that the evolved hydrogen immediately catches fire.

  • They are so soft that they can be cut with a knife.
  • They have low densities and low melting points.

Reactivity Series of Metals

Following is the reactivity series of the metals in the decreasing order of the reactivity:

Reactivity Series of Metals

Potassium

K (Most Reactive)

Sodium

Na

Calcium

Ca

Magnesium

Mg

Aluminium

Al

Zinc

Zn

Iron

Fe

Lead

Pb

Hydrogen

H

Copper

Cu

Mercury

Hg

Silver

Ag

Gold

Au (Least Reactive)

Summary:

Why Sodium and Potassium are stored in Kerosene?

Sodium and Potassium are stored in kerosene because it react so vigorously that they catch fire if kept in the open.

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