Transition Metals vs Group 1 MetalsOxford AQA IGCSE Chemistry: Revision notes

Both transition metals (centre of the periodic table) and Group 1 metals (alkali metals, far left) are metals, but they behave very differently. Comparing them highlights how position in the periodic table affects physical and chemical properties.

Transition metals have much higher melting points than Group 1 metals (with the exception of mercury, which is liquid at room temperature). They are also denser than Group 1 metals.

For example, sodium (Group 1) melts at around 98 °C and floats on water, whereas iron (a transition metal) melts at around 1538 °C and sinks in water.

Transition metals are stronger and harder than Group 1 metals.

• Group 1 metals are so soft that some (like sodium and potassium) can be cut with a knife.
• Transition metals such as iron and titanium are strong and hard, which is why they are used in construction, tools and machinery — properties Group 1 metals could never provide.

Transition metals are much less reactive than Group 1 metals.

• Group 1 metals react vigorously with water and oxygen; for example, sodium reacts rapidly with water, fizzing and moving across the surface, releasing hydrogen gas.
• Transition metals such as iron and copper do not react as vigorously with water or oxygen — iron only rusts slowly, and copper does not react with water at all.

This difference in reactivity is why Group 1 metals must be stored under oil, while transition metals like iron and copper can be safely left exposed to air.