Describe the reactions, if any, of: (a) potassium, sodium and calcium with cold water (b) magnesium with steam (c) magnesium, zinc, iron, copper, silver and gold with dilute hydrochloric acid and explain these reactions in terms of the position of the metals in the reactivity series

Describe the use of a flame test to identify the cations: (a) lithium, ( Li^+ ) (b) sodium, ( Na^+ ) (c) potassium, ( K^+ ) (d) calcium, ( Ca^{2+} ) (e) barium, ( Ba^{2+} ) (f) copper(II), ( Cu^{2+} )

Describe the Group I alkali metals, lithium, sodium and potassium, as relatively soft metals with general trends down the group, limited to: (a) decreasing melting point (b) increasing density (c) increasing reactivity