Group 2 — Alkaline Earth Metals

Oxidation states, trends, reactions, solubility comparison, thermal stability, beryllium —

Topic 13.4

Be — Mg — Ca — Sr — Ba — Ra
Running theme: every comparison to Group 1 in this section comes from ONE extra fact —
Group 2 cations carry twice the charge of Group 1 cations of similar size.

13.4.1 Oxidation states and physical property trends

Oxidation state
Always +2. Configuration ends in ns² — losing both outer electrons gives a stable noble-gas
configuration.

Trends down the group

Property Trend down group Reason
Atomic radius Increases New shell added each element
Ionisation energy Decreases Outer electrons farther out, more shielded
Electronegativity Decreases Same nuclear-pull-vs-shielding balance
Melting / boiling point Decreases (less clean than Metallic bonding weakens; packing structure
Group 1) varies more between elements

Why every Group 2 value sits higher than the matching Group 1 element
Compare Na (Group 1, period 3) to Mg (Group 2, period 3): Mg has one more proton AND one
more electron to remove from the same shell. More nuclear charge on the same shell → higher
ionisation energy, higher electronegativity, smaller atomic radius, and stronger metallic bonding
(2 delocalised electrons per atom instead of 1). This is why Group 2 metals are generally
harder, denser, and higher-melting than their Group 1 neighbours.

13.4.2 Reaction with water, oxygen, nitrogen

With water — reactivity increases down group, quieter baseline than Group 1
Element Observation
Be No reaction at all, even with steam (protective oxide layer, like Al)
 Element Observation
Mg Very slow with cold water; reacts with steam: Mg + H₂O(steam) → MgO + H₂
Ca Reacts steadily with cold water: Ca + 2H₂O → Ca(OH)₂ + H₂
Sr, Ba Increasingly vigorous with cold water, still generally milder than Group 1
Why Group 2 is less reactive with water than Group 1 overall: removing TWO electrons (+2
state) costs more total ionisation energy than removing ONE (+1 state) — keeps Group 2
consistently less reactive with water than the Group 1 neighbour in the same period.

With oxygen — mostly the simple oxide

2M + O₂ → 2MO
Unlike Group 1's progression to peroxides/superoxides, Group 2 mostly stays at the simple
oxide. Ba can form the peroxide (BaO₂) — its large size starts to approach the point where it
can stabilise the bigger peroxide ion, but this appears later and more weakly than in Group 1
due to the stronger +2 charge keeping things more tightly ionic.

With nitrogen — heavier members only

3M + N₂ → M₃N₂
Becomes increasingly favourable down the group as metals get more reactive. N₂'s triple bond
is strong, so this typically needs the more reactive, heavier Group 2 metals (Mg, Ca, Sr, Ba).

13.4.3 Solubility: Group 2 vs Group 1

Compound Group 1 trend Group 2 trend Comparison
Hydroxides Increases down group Increases down group SAME direction, but Group
2 far less soluble at every
point
Sulphates Increases down group DECREASES down OPPOSITE direction —
group the standout exception
Carbonates Increases / generally Essentially insoluble Group 1 soluble, Group 2
soluble throughout not

Why hydroxide solubility differs — the key reasoning

DIRECTION same, MAGNITUDE different — do not confuse with sulphates

Group 1 hydroxides: lattice energy falls off faster than hydration energy as the cation grows —
net effect favours dissolution more down the group. LiOH is moderately soluble;
KOH/NaOH/CsOH are very soluble.
Group 2 hydroxides: the DIRECTION is the same (increases down the group) — but the
STARTING POINT and overall magnitude are far lower throughout, because the +2 charge
gives substantially higher lattice energy than any Group 1 hydroxide of comparable size.
Be(OH)₂ and Mg(OH)₂ are only sparingly soluble (Mg(OH)₂ = 'milk of magnesia', a suspension
not a true solution). Even Ba(OH)₂ at the bottom of the group does not approach NaOH's easy
solubility.
Key distinction to remember: hydroxides differ from Group 1 in MAGNITUDE only (same
direction, much less soluble). Sulphates differ in DIRECTION entirely — this is the one to watch
for in exam questions.

Why sulphate solubility actually reverses direction

For Group 2 sulphates specifically: as the cation grows down the group, lattice energy
decreases — but hydration energy decreases EVEN FASTER (the opposite balance from
Group 1's salts, and opposite from Group 2's own hydroxide trend). With hydration energy
dropping off faster than lattice energy, the net effect now disfavours dissolution as the cation
grows — giving DECREASING solubility down Group 2 for sulphates.
Example: MgSO₄ is soluble, but BaSO₄ is almost completely insoluble — used medically as a
'barium meal' for X-ray imaging precisely because it passes through the body without dissolving
or being absorbed.

Why Group 2 is consistently less soluble than Group 1 overall

The 2+ charge gives Group 2 cations a much higher lattice energy with any given anion
compared to the corresponding 1+ Group 1 cation — a stronger electrostatic grip that is harder
for hydration energy to overcome. This single fact (higher lattice energy from the doubled
charge) is the root cause of Group 2's lower solubility across all three compound types.

13.4.4 Thermal stability of nitrates and carbonates

Trend: thermal stability INCREASES down the group — same direction as Group 1, same
polarisation mechanism.
Mechanism recap: smaller, more densely-charged cations polarise (distort) the nitrate/carbonate
ion's electron cloud more strongly, weakening internal bonds and lowering thermal stability.
Down the group, cations grow larger, charge density drops, polarising power weakens, thermal
stability rises.

Group 2 vs Group 1 — the key comparative point

Group 2 nitrates/carbonates are LESS thermally stable than Group 1's at matching periods. A
2+ cation packs more charge into a similar-sized ion than a 1+ cation, giving stronger polarising
power even at comparable size. More polarisation → more bond distortion in the anion → lower
thermal stability.
Example: MgCO₃ decomposes at a notably lower temperature than Na₂CO₃, even though
Mg²⁺ and Na⁺ are reasonably similar in size — simply because Mg²⁺'s doubled charge makes it
the stronger polariser.
13.4.5 Why beryllium differs from the rest of Group 2
FIRST-MEMBER-OF-GROUP ANOMALY — same pattern as Li in Group 1

Root cause: as the first member of the group, Be has no inner shielding shells beyond 1s² —
unusually small radius, extremely high charge density for a 2+ ion, far more concentrated than
any other Group 2 cation.

Specific differences from the rest of the group

• Bonding character: Be compounds (e.g. BeCl₂) are significantly covalent, not ionic like
MgCl₂–BaCl₂ — Be²⁺'s small size and concentrated charge shares electron density
rather than fully transferring it
• Reaction with water: Be does not react at all, even with steam (Mg reacts with steam;
heavier members increasingly react with cold water)
• Oxide/hydroxide behaviour: BeO and Be(OH)₂ are AMPHOTERIC (react with both acids
and bases) — unlike the rest of the group, which is simply basic
• Carbonate stability: BeCO₃ is markedly less thermally stable than the rest of the group's
carbonates, consistent with Be²⁺ being the strongest polariser in the group by far
• Diagonal relationship: Be's small size and high charge density make it behave more like
aluminium (Group 13, diagonally adjacent) than like its own group's heavier members —
both form mainly covalent compounds and show amphoteric oxide behaviour

Throughline for the whole section

Every comparison in 13.4 — water reactivity, oxide behaviour, solubility, thermal stability —
comes from layering ONE extra fact on top of Group 1: Group 2 cations carry twice the charge
of Group 1 cations of similar size. That single difference makes Group 2 less reactive with
water, generally less soluble, less thermally stable in its nitrates/carbonates — and makes
beryllium, the smallest most concentrated Group 2 cation, the most extreme anomalous
member of its own group.