Core Periodicity: Chemical Properties
Slide 16 of 31
Metallic to non-metallic: Behavior of metal oxides
6. Metal oxides in general are ionic and basic, while non-metal oxides are covalent and acidic.
–Metal oxides:
–All Group I oxides dissolve in water to produce alkaline solution, while other metal oxides react with acids to produce salt and water.
–M2O (s) + H2O (l) ® 2MOH (aq) 
•Where, M = group I metal.
•For example:
–Na2O (s) + H2O (l) ® 2NaOH (aq)
–K2O (s) + H2O (l) ® 2KOH (aq)
–In this period, sodium oxide conforms to this (obviously).
–Magnesium oxide is also basic as it reacts with acids to produce salt and water.
•MgO (s) + HCl (l) ® 2MgCl (aq) + H2O (l)