Alkali Metals: Inorganic ChemistryBased in part on the article Alkali Metals: Inorganic Chemistry by Francis S. Mair & Ronald Snaith which appeared in theEncyclopedia of Inorganic Chemistry, First Edition.

AbstractThis article is updated to cover the literature in the area of inorganic chemistry of alkali metals since 1993. The advancement in instrumentation and spectroscopic techniques in the past decade has provided the researchers with more powerful tools for structure determination of compounds. In this respect, alkalides containing mixed‐sandwich complexes of alkali metal cations, complexes with dimers or chains of alkali metal anions, electrides with alkali metal ions intercalating in zeolite, and interstitial hydride enclosed by an unusual (Li+)8cubic cage have been found or studied by NMR. With the successful preparation of Na3N recently, its correct structure has been revealed. The exact composition of ‘NaB6’ has also been determined. The role of alkali metals in trielide clusters of traditional Zintl polyanions has been demonstrated. Trimetallic Li‐Na‐K amides, alkoxide compounds, and highly aggregated cage structures of lithium‐heavier alkali metal alkoxides have been reported.