When comparing the chemical formula of compounds formed with oxygen, you need to consider the chemical similarities between the elements given (cesium, sulfur, beryllium, and rubidium) and strontium. Strontium is in Group 2 of the periodic table and is an alkaline earth metal. Here is how you can determine which element is most similar and least similar to strontium based on the compounds they form with oxygen:
1. Identify the Group of Each Element:
- Cesium (Cs): Group 1 (alkali metal)
- Sulfur (S): Group 16 (non-metal)
- Beryllium (Be): Group 2 (alkaline earth metal)
- Rubidium (Rb): Group 1 (alkali metal)
2. Determine the Type of Oxides Formed with Oxygen:
- Cesium: Forms cesium oxide (Cs₂O)
- Sulfur: Forms sulfur dioxide (SO₂) and sulfur trioxide (SO₃)
- Beryllium: Forms beryllium oxide (BeO)
- Rubidium: Forms rubidium oxide (Rb₂O)
3. Compare with Strontium's Oxide (SrO):
- Strontium forms strontium oxide (SrO).
4. Find the Most Similar Element:
- Beryllium (Be) forms BeO, which is similar to SrO (both are alkaline earth metals and both form simple oxides with a 1:1 metal to oxygen ratio).
- Hence, the most similar to strontium is beryllium.
5. Find the Least Similar Element:
- Sulfur (S) forms SO₂ and SO₃, which are very different from SrO. These oxides are molecular compounds with very distinct structures compared to the ionic compounds formed by strontium.
- Hence, the least similar to strontium is sulfur.
Therefore, the final entries in the table would be:
[tex]\[
\begin{tabular}{|l|l|l|l|l|}
\cline { 2 - 5 } \multicolumn{1}{c|}{} & cesium & sulfur & beryllium & rubidium \\
\hline most similar to strontium & & & \textbf{3} & \\
\hline least similar to strontium & & \textbf{2} & & \\
\hline
\end{tabular}
\][/tex]
