Headings Alkaline Earth Metals Search Questions 
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The Alkaline Earth Metals - Group Trends.
As you go down group 2 from beryllium to radium, the alkaline earth metals
1) Have bigger atoms.
Each successive element has an extra electron shell.
It is the electron shells which take
up nearly all the
space of an atom.
2) Are more reactive.
As the size of the atoms increase,
the outer electrons (which it wants to
lose to become a stable ion)
are further and further from the positive nucleus.
It is the attraction between the negative outer electrons and
the positive nucleus which determines how
easily the electrons will be
lost.
The bigger the atom, the further
away the outer electrons
are,
the more easily the outer
electrons are lost, and the
more reactive the metal
is.
Also, the inner electrons (being negatively charged)
protect the outer ones from the full attraction of
the positive nucleus.
The outer electrons are said to be
shielded by the inner electrons.
The more electron shells there are, the greater the shielding.
3) Are softer, with lower melting and boiling points.
4) Have a higher density.
Headings Alkaline Earth Metals Search Questions
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