All alkaline earth metals and their salts are reactive and they have a blue-print that identifies them as an alkaline earth metal but metals exist as metals, and salts as salts, with different structural compounds.
Alkali metals have a +1 oxidation state and form compounds with a 1:1 ratio of metal to other element, while alkaline earth metals have a +2 oxidation state and form compounds with a 1:2 ratio. By analyzing the stoichiometry of compounds formed with these metals, you can distinguish between alkali metals and alkaline earth metals.
Alkaline earth metals were named "earth" to differentiate them from alkali metals, which were known to form alkaline solutions when reacting with water. The term "alkaline" was added to indicate they were compounds with a high pH.
Alkaline earth metals have a moderate reactivity level compared to other metals. They are less reactive than alkali metals, but more reactive than transition metals. Alkaline earth metals readily form ionic compounds with nonmetals due to their tendency to lose two electrons.
One characteristic property of alkaline earth metals is their tendency to form ionic compounds with a +2 oxidation state. This makes them readily react with nonmetals to form stable compounds. Additionally, alkaline earth metals have relatively low electron affinities, making them less reactive than alkali metals.
Transition metals generally have less reactivity than alkali or alkaline earth metals. This is because transition metals have more filled electron shells which provide greater stability, making it harder for them to lose or gain electrons compared to alkali or alkaline earth metals. Transition metals typically form compounds by sharing electrons or by forming complex ions, unlike alkali or alkaline earth metals that readily form simple ionic compounds by losing electrons.
generally known as metal hydroxides or basic salts. They are formed when active metals (like alkali metals or alkaline earth metals) react with hydroxide ions to form compounds with a basic pH. These compounds are often used in various industrial processes and as alkaline reagents.
Magnesium and calcium are the two most common alkaline earth metals.Magnesium and calcium, both in nature as compounds.
Look at the position of Pb in the periodic table and the postion of the Alkali Earth metals. Alkali Earth Metals are in noble-gas configuration when they are doubly charged cations. Lead however is on the right hand side, and would like to have more electrons to get into that stablest configuration; making the bonds in lead-compounds more covalent -and stronger- in nature. Insoluble compounds have lattice enthalpies higher than the enthalpy of solvation. Now since Alkali Earth metals like to be in ionic states; their compounds will dissolve in general more easily than the same compounds with lead, since usually the lattice energy of lead compounds is much higher (In case of insoluble compounds higher than the energy that would be released upon solvation, which thus doesn't occur).
Alkali metals and alkaline-earth metals are highly reactive and easily form compounds with elements in the environment. Consequently, they are not found in their pure form in nature. Instead, they are typically found as compounds with other elements such as oxygen or sulfur.
Group 2 elements are called alkaline earth metals because they form alkaline solutions when they react with water. The term "earth" indicates that these elements were found in the earth's crust, while "alkaline" describes the basic nature of the compounds they form.
Alkali metals , alkaline earth metals and halogens are most important ionic compound former .