However, for the alkali metal cations, the second coordination sphere is not well-defined as the +1 charge on the cation is not high enough to polarise the water molecules in the primary solvation shell enough for them to form strong hydrogen bonds with those in the second coordination sphere, producing a more stable entity.
haʊˈɛvɚ, fɚðɪ ˈælkəlˌaɪ mˈɛɾəl kˈæɾaɪənz, ðə sˈɛkənd koʊˈɔːɹdᵻnˈeɪʃən sfˈɪɹ ɪz nˌɑːt wˈɛldᵻfˈaɪnd æz ðə plˈʌs wˈʌn tʃˈɑːɹdʒ ɔnðə kˈæɾaɪən ɪz nˌɑːt hˈaɪ ɪnˈʌf tə pˈoʊlɚɹˌaɪz ðə wˈɔːɾɚ mˈɑːlɪkjˌuːlz ɪnðə pɹˈaɪmɚɹi səlvˈeɪʃən ʃˈɛl ɪnˈʌf fɔːɹ ðˌɛm tə fˈɔːɹm stɹˈɔŋ hˈaɪdɹədʒən bˈɑːndz wɪð ðoʊz ɪnðə sˈɛkənd koʊˈɔːɹdᵻnˈeɪʃən sfˈɪɹ, pɹədˈuːsɪŋ ɐ mˈoːɹ stˈeɪbəl ˈɛntᵻɾi.