Given below are two statements: Statement I: The density of potassium is less than that of sodium because the increase in atomic volume from Na to K is disproportionately larger than the increase in atomic mass. Statement II: The melting points of alkali metals increase down the group due to the increasing strength of metallic bonding. In the light of the above statements, choose the most appropriate answer from the

Step-by-step solution

Statement I is true. While moving from Na to K , the atomic mass increases, but the atomic volume increases disproportionately, making potassium lighter than sodium. Statement II is false. The melting points of alkali metals decrease down the group. This is because as the atomic size increases, the strength of the metallic bond weakens, requiring less thermal energy to break the lattice. Hence, Statement I is true but Statement II is false. Answer: Statement I is true but Statement II is false