Group 2 The Alkaline Earth Metals

Physical properties
The elements in Group 2 are all
- metals
- good conductivity of electricity (free electrons)
- high melting and boiling points
- silver-grey metallic appearance
Note: Radium is too radioactive to handle in a normal laboratory. Its other properties closely resemble those
of barium.

They form ionic compounds which

- are colourless
- have high melting and boiling points
- conduct electricity when molten or in solution (free ions)
except for beryllium which behaves differently because of its very small size
Chemical Properties
To understand the reactions of Group 2 it helps to consider their electron arrangements:
Be
[He] 2s2
1s2 2s2
Mg
[Ne] 3s2
1s2 2s2 2p6 3s2
2
Ca
[Ar] 4s
1s2 2s2 2p6 3s2 3p6 4s2
2
Sr
[Kr] 5s
1s2 2s2 2p6 3s2 3p6 3d10 4s2 4p6 5s2
Ba
[Xe] 6s2
1s2 2s2 2p6 3s2 3p6 3d10 4s2 4p6 4d10 5s2 5p6 6s2
So all the atoms of Group 2 elements have two electrons in their outer shell. Group 2
elements react by losing two electrons to form M2+ ions:
The energy required to remove the first of these electrons is the first ionisation energy, and
the energy required to remove the second electron is the second ionisation energy. Note
that ionisation energies are defined for moles of atoms in the gaseous state, so this must
be reflected in the state symbols:
M(g) M+(g) + e-

HI1

M+(g) M2+(g) + e-

HI2

It is the sum of these ionisation energies which determines the relative reactivity of the
elements:
Element HI1 kJmol-1 HI2 kJmol-1 Total kJmol-1
Be
900
1750
2650
Mg
740
1460
2200
Ca
590
1160
1750
Sr
550
1050
1600
Ba
500
950
1450

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It is clear from the data that we would expect reactivity to increase down the group as the
energy required to remove the two outer shell electrons decreases and the 2+ ion becomes
easier to form. We can explain this in terms of atomic radius, shielding and nuclear charge:
Down the group:
the atomic radius increases with increasing number of shells, so the outer electrons
are further from the attraction of the nucleus
there are more filled inner shells shielding the two outer shell electrons from the
nuclear charge
these factors outweigh the increasing nuclear charge due to the increasing atomic
number and hence number of protons in the nucleus
Reactions of Group 2 elements
Experimental evidence that these predictions are correct comes from the redox reactions of
the Group 2 metals with oxygen, water and dilute acids.
1) with oxygen
Group 2 metals undergo redox reactions with oxygen from the air (the most reactive of
them are kept under oil like the Group 1 metals) and will burn with characteristic flame
colours.
e.g.

Ca(s) + O2(g) CaO(s)

0

ox

Flame colours:

+2 -2

red

Mg white
Ca brick red
Sr crimson
Ba - green

2) with water
Group 2 metals Ca, Sr and Ba undergo redox reactions readily with water to form
hydroxides, and give off hydrogen gas. These reactions are exothermic.
e.g.

Ca(s) +

2H2O(l) Ca(OH)2(aq) + H2(g)

+1 -2
+1

ox

+2 -2 +1
-2 +1

red

Mg reacts very slowly (days), producing a white suspension of magnesium hydroxide

because magnesium hydroxide is barely soluble in water.
Mg(s) + 2 H2O(l) Mg(OH)2(s) + H2(g)
3) with dilute acids
The Group 2 metals undergo redox reaction with dilute acids to form salts and hydrogen
gas. The reactions become more vigorous and exothermic down the group.

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e.g.

Ca(s) + 2 HCl(aq)
0

+1 -1

CaCl2(aq) + H2(g)
+2 (-1x2)

ox
red
Reducing power
The Group 2 elements are reducing agents. It is clear in each of their reactions above that
they have themselves been oxidised, causing the substance they have reacted with to be
reduced. The more reactive they are, the better they are at doing this, so Group 2 become
better reducing agents, having greater reducing power as we go down the group.
Group 2 oxides
The oxides of Group 2 metals react with water to form metal hydroxides. These are NOT
redox reactions.
CaO(s) + H2O(l) Ca2+(aq) + 2OH-(aq)
Note that these hydroxides are only sparingly soluble, so once the solution has become
saturated, the metal hydroxide forms as a precipitate.
Ca2+(aq) + 2OH-(aq) Ca(OH)2(s)
The presence of hydroxide ions in the aqueous solution makes the resulting solutions
alkaline, with pH values in the range 9 13. Going down the group the metal hydroxides
become more soluble in water, so the concentration of hydroxide ions that can be dissolved
increases down the group, making the solution more alkaline and the pH higher.
Uses of Group 2 compounds
i) agriculture
Calcium hydroxide (slaked lime) is used in agriculture to increase the pH of acidic soils:
Ca(OH)2(s) + 2H+(aq) Ca2+(aq) + 2H2O(l)
ii) medical
Group 2 bases are often used as antacids to treat acid indigestion by neutralisation.
Gaviscon and Rennies use calcium carbonate and magnesium carbonate, while Milk of
Magnesia is a suspension of magnesium hydroxide in water.
CaCO3(s) + 2HCl(aq) CaCl2(aq) + CO2(g) + H2O(l)
Mg(OH)2(s) + 2HCl(aq) MgCl2(aq) + 2H2O(l)

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