Alkaline Earth Metals
Jackson Meadows, Timmy Wetmore, Mason Mcghee, and John Hade
Basic information
Beryllium
Ba
4
+2 valence electrons
Melting point: 2348 degrees fahrenheit, (1287 degrees celsius)
Discovered 1797 Louis-Nicholas Vauquelin
Magnesium
Mg
12
+2 valence electrons
melting point: 1202 degrees fahrenheit (650 degrees celsius)
Discovered 1755, Joseph Black
Calcium
Ca
20
+2 valence electrons
Melting point 1548 degrees fahrenheit (842 degrees celsius)
Discovered 1808 Humphry Davey
Strontium
Sr
38
+2 valence electrons
Melting Point: 1,416°F (768.8°C)
Discovered 1790 Martin Heinrich
Barium
Ba
56
+2 valence electrons
Melting Point: 1,341 degrees Fahrenheit (727 degrees Celsius)
Discovered 1808 Humphry Davey
Radium
Ra
88
+2 valence electrons
melting point 1292 degrees fahrenheit (700 degrees celsius)
Discovered 1898 Pierre Curie, Marie Curie
More Information
Magnesium and Calcium are very common in foods and dietary supplements. Barium and Beryllium are commonly used in jewelry and medicine. Strontium is one of the main ingredients used to make fireworks. Radium is almost never used outside of labs because of it’s high levels of radioactivity
These elements are all grouped together because the group 2 elements are all metals with a shiny, silvery-white color.
An oxidation number of +2 which makes them very reactive
Not found freely in nature
Present in the earth's crust but not in their basic form
Distributed in rock structure
Two electrons in their outer shell
High boiling points
High melting points
Low density
Low electron affinity
Low electronegativity
Silver in color
Ductile
Malleable
React easily with the halogen
Softer and stronger than most other metals (except the alkali metals)