NSCI 1322 Lecture Notes - Lecture 34: Alkaline Earth Metal, Mercury(Ii) Oxide, Magnesium Hydroxide
12 Jan 2017
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The group 2a elements are also known as the alkaline earth metals. These metals exhibit the expected periodic trends. If you compare an alkaline earth metal with the alkali metal in the same period, you see that the alkaline earth metal is less reactive and a harder metal. For example, lithium reacts readily with water, but beryllium reacts hardly at all even with steam. Lithium is a soft metal, whereas beryllium is hard enough to scratch glass. You also see the expected trend within the column of alkaline earth metals; the elements at the bottom of the column are more reactive and are softer metals than those at the top of the column. Barium, in the sixth period, is a very reactive metal and, when placed in water, reacts much like an alkali metal. It is also a soft metal, much like the alkali metals.
