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alkali metal
noun
: any of the monovalent mostly basic metals of group I of the periodic table comprising lithium, sodium, potassium, rubidium, cesium, and francium see Periodic Table
Examples of alkali metal in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
From there, alkali heat pipes passively conduct the heat away using phase changes in the alkali metal to cool the reactor and convert the heat into electricity.
—David Szondy, New Atlas, 26 Sep. 2024
These are all side effects the late Jacob Waugh, MD, was looking to avoid when alkali metals first caught his attention in 2016.
—Maura Lynch, Allure, 21 Sep. 2023
Lithium is an alkali metal that can be found naturally in some food and ground water.
—Jen Christensen, CNN, 3 Apr. 2023
This one just happens to count the nine-billion-odd times an alkali metal is excited and calls that a second.
—Tom Vanderbilt, Harper’s Magazine , 13 Mar. 2023
The recent announcement by India’s Geological Survey of India (GSI) on its preliminary exploration of lithium reserves has excited many industries dependent on the scarce alkali metal.
—Manish Kumar, Quartz, 20 Feb. 2023
In the paper, scientists characterize the meteorites’ material phases as alloys of lead, tin and indium, which is the softest non-alkali metal.
—Fox News, 24 Mar. 2020
The first group, known as the alkali metals, has just one such electron, easy to lose when reacting with an element that has more electrons, such as one from the 17th group, the halogens.
—Bill Andrews, Discover Magazine, 26 June 2019
The brine water that has been accumulating for millennia under the Atacama is lithium-rich, and companies pump it out and send the brine to evaporation ponds where heat extracts the water and leaves the reactive alkali metal behind.
—Megan Geuss, Ars Technica, 21 Oct. 2018
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Word History
First Known Use
1860, in the meaning defined above
Dictionary Entries Near alkali metal
Cite this Entry
“Alkali metal.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/alkali%20metal. Accessed 3 Dec. 2024.
Kids Definition
alkali metal
noun
: any of the metals in the group that consists of lithium, sodium, potassium, rubidium, cesium, and francium
Medical Definition
alkali metal
noun
: any of the univalent mostly basic metals of group I of the periodic table comprising lithium, sodium, potassium, rubidium, cesium, and francium
More from Merriam-Webster on alkali metal
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about alkali metal
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