Question

Why are they called alkaline earth metals?

Answer 1

1. The alkaline earth metals are present in the 2nd group of the periodic table.
2. The alkaline earth metals are Beryllium, Magnesium, Calcium, Strontium, Barium, and Radium.
3. The alkaline earth metals are named from the old names of alkaline earth which are beryllia, magnesia, lime, strontia, and baryta, after their oxides.
4. When mixed with water, these oxides form simple alkaline earth metals.
5. The word “earth” is used by early chemists for nonmetallic substances that are insoluble in water and are resistant to heat.
6. The alkaline metals lose their 2 electrons to form cations and show +2 oxidation state.
7. All the discovered alkaline earth metals occur in nature except for Radium which is occurring by the decay of Uranium and Thorium.
8. All alkaline earth metals are silver-colored soft materials with relatively low densities.
9. They also have lower melting and boiling points.