What is the common oxidation state of Alkaline earth metals? (2014) 2014
Practice Questions
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What is the common oxidation state of Alkaline earth metals? (2014) 2014
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Alkaline earth metals commonly exhibit a +2 oxidation state.
Questions & Step-by-step Solutions
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Q: What is the common oxidation state of Alkaline earth metals? (2014) 2014
Solution: Alkaline earth metals commonly exhibit a +2 oxidation state.
Steps: 6
Step 1: Identify what alkaline earth metals are. They are the elements in Group 2 of the periodic table, which include beryllium (Be), magnesium (Mg), calcium (Ca), strontium (Sr), barium (Ba), and radium (Ra).
Step 2: Understand what oxidation state means. It refers to the charge an atom would have if all bonds were ionic.
Step 3: Recognize that alkaline earth metals have two electrons in their outermost shell.
Step 4: Know that these metals tend to lose these two outer electrons to achieve a stable electron configuration.
Step 5: When they lose two electrons, they become positively charged with a charge of +2.
Step 6: Conclude that the common oxidation state of alkaline earth metals is +2.
