Group 2, Alkaline Earth Metals

 All Group 2 elements have 2 electrons in their outer s-subshell.

 Down the group ionisation energy decreases, as the atomic radius and shielding
increases, decreasing the attraction of the electron to the nucleus
 Melting point also decrease down the group due to the increased atomic radii and
shielding, so metallic bonding is weaker
 Group 2 elements react with water to form hydroxides and hydrogen gas

Mg (s) + 2H2O(l) → Mg(OH)2 (aq) + H2 (g)

Oxidation numbers: 0 +1 +2 0

 Magnesium can also react with steam

Mg (s) + H2O (g) → MgO (s) + H2 (g)

Oxidation numbers: 0 +1 +2 0
Group 2 Group 2
Solubility of Hydroxide
Element Hyroxide
Mg Mg(OH)2 Slightly soluble
Ca Ca(OH)2 Sparingly soluble
More soluble than Mg(OH)2 and
Sr Sr(OH)2
Ca(OH)2
Ba Ba(OH)2 Most soluble

 Mg(OH)2 (milk of magnesia) is used to neutralise excess hydrochloric acid in the

stomach, relieving indigestion
 Titanium oxide reacts with carbon and chlorine to form titanium chloride, which is
purified by fractional distillation and then reduced to titanium using magnesium

o TiCl4(l)+ 2Mg(s)→ 2MgCl2 (s) + Ti (s)

 Ca(OH)2 (hydrated lime) is used to neutralise acidic soil
 CaO and CaCO3 can be used to remove SO3 from flue gases

CaO (s) + 2H2O (l) + SO2 (g) → CaSO3 (s) + 2H2O (l)
CaCO3 (s) + 2H2O (l) + SO2 (g) → CaSO3 (s) + 2H2O (l) + CO2 (g)
Group 2 Element Group 2 Sulphate Solubility of Sulphate
Mg MgSO4 Soluble
Ca CaSO4 Slightly soluble
Sr SrSO4 Insoluble
 Ba BaSO4 Insoluble

 BaSO4 can be ingested to visual soft tissue in imaging

 Acidified BaCl2 can be used to test for the presence of sulphate ions as barium
sulphate, a white precipitate, will be formed. The solution needs to be acidified to
remove any sulphites or carbonates, which would result in the formation of a white
precipitate

Ba^2+ (aq) + SO4^2+(aq) → BaSO4(s)