![]() Calcium plays an important role in helping us to build strong bones and magnesium is used to help regulate the body's temperature. Calcium and magnesium are important for animal and plant life.It is very radioactive and is dangerous to handle. Radium is formed from the decay of uranium.They are called alkaline because they form solutions with a pH greater than 7, making them bases or "alkaline." The name "alkaline earths" comes from an old name for the oxides of the elements.They burn with various colored flames as follows: beryllium (white), magnesium (bright white), calcium (red), strontium (crimson), barium (green), and radium (red).Interesting Facts about Alkaline Earth Metals The most abundant of the alkaline earth metals on Earth is calcium which is the fifth most abundant element in the Earth's crust. They tend to form ionic bonds, except for beryllium which forms covalent bonds.All of them except beryllium react strongly with water.They react with halogens to form compounds called halides.They all occur in nature, but are only found in compounds and minerals, not in their elemental forms.They have two outer valence electrons which they readily lose.They are fairly reactive under standard conditions.They are silvery, shiny, and relatively soft metals.What are the similar properties of alkaline earth metals?Īlkaline earth metals share many similar properties including: Click the links or see below for more details on each. The elements of the alkaline earth metals include beryllium, magnesium, calcium, strontium, barium, and radium. They are sometimes referred to as the group 2 elements. They are all in the second column of the periodic table. Soluble barium compounds are very toxic, while radium in all forms is very toxic, due to its radioactivity.The alkaline earth metals are a group of elements in the periodic table. Magnesium and calcium are necessary for organisms, while strontium has been found to be beneficial to bone growth in controlled conditions. Soluble beryllium and barium compounds are very toxic. Barium and radium sulfate/carbonate are among the most insoluble compounds known.Īll alkali earth metals are silvery-gray base metals. Strontium and barium burn in air to form oxide and nitride. Beryllium and magnesium form a thin protective oxide layer which limits oxidation, though magnesium's layer does not resist water. It is a dense gray metal, which has a pale greenish glow in the dark.Īlkali-earth metals, except for beryllium, react slowly with water. Radium, atomic number 88, is the only radioactive member of the group. It is a silvery-gray metal, which burns with a green flame. Strontium, atomic number 38, is a reactive metal which burns with a reddish or crimson-red flame.īarium, atomic number 56, is the heaviest stable member of the group. It rapidly tarnishes in air and burns with an orange flame. Magnesium burns with an extremely bright white flame, famous for its strength.Ĭalcium, atomic number 20, is the lightest alkaline earth metal, with a density of 1.55 g/cm 3, lighter than both beryllium and magnesium. It forms a protective oxide coating which slows its corrosion. Magnesium, atomic number 12, is the second lightest alkaline earth metal (1.738 g/cm 3). Beryllium's properties are closer to that of aluminium, a property referred to as diagonal relationship. ![]() Despite its position, it is not the lightest alkaline earth metal density-wise (1.85 g/cm 3). 1 Elements in the alkaline earth metal groupsĮlements in the alkaline earth metal groups Berylliumīeryllium, atomic number 4, has the highest melting point of the alkali metals.
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