What is the common oxidation state of alkaline earth metals? (2019)
Practice Questions
Q1
What is the common oxidation state of alkaline earth metals? (2019)
+1
+2
+3
0
Questions & Step-by-Step Solutions
What is the common oxidation state of alkaline earth metals? (2019)
Step 1: Identify the group of elements known as alkaline earth metals. These are found in Group 2 of the periodic table.
Step 2: Understand that alkaline earth metals include elements like beryllium (Be), magnesium (Mg), calcium (Ca), strontium (Sr), barium (Ba), and radium (Ra).
Step 3: Learn that oxidation states indicate how many electrons an atom can lose, gain, or share when it forms chemical bonds.
Step 4: Recognize that alkaline earth metals have two electrons in their outermost shell.
Step 5: Conclude that to achieve a stable electron configuration, alkaline earth metals typically lose these two outer electrons.
Step 6: Therefore, the common oxidation state for alkaline earth metals is +2.
