GROUP II

ELEMENTS
SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES:
2.1. explain the variation in atomic and ionic radii and
ionisation energies of the elements in terms of structure and
bonding
2.2. describe the reactions of the elements with oxygen,
water and dilute acids
2.3. explain the variation in the solubility of sulphates in
terms of lattice and hydration energies
2.4. explain the variation in the thermal decomposition of
the carbonates and nitrates
2.5. discuss the uses of some of the compounds of
magnesium and calcium
 GROUP II ELEMENTS

• Explain the variation in Group II elements in

terms of:
- atomic radius
- ionization energy
- metallic character
• Explain the variation on properties of Group II
elements in terms of structure and bonding.
 PHYSICAL PROPERTIES OF GROUP II ELEMENTS

Metallic Ionic Melting Ionization

Atomic Density energy/kJ/mol
Element radius/ radius/ point/
number / g/cm3 0
nm nm C First Second

Be 4 0.122 0.031 1.85 1278 900 1760

Mg 12 0.160 0.065 1.74 694 763 1450

Ca 20 0.197 0.099 1.55 839 590 1150

Sr 38 0.215 0.113 2.60 769 548 1060

Ba 56 0.224 0.135 3.51 725 502 966

 METALLIC AND IONIC RADIUS
•The metallic and ionic radii both increase down the
group as the number of filled electron shell increases.
The ionic radius is much smaller than the metallic radius
because when forming the ions the electrons in the outer
shell have been lost.
DENSITY
•The density depends on the mass of the atoms and the
way they are packed in the lattice. From Ca to Ba there is
an increase in density. Be and Mg have higher densities
because they are packed more efficiently in the lattice
with less wasted space.
MELTING POINTS

•The melting points are high, as expected of a Ca

giant metallic structure. As we go down the

group there is a general decrease in M.P. Mg
spoils this trend because it has a different lattice
structure to Ca, Sr and Ba. Going down the
group the electrons which contribute to the sea
of delocalised electrons are further away from
the positive nuclei and it takes less energy to
overcome these attractive forces. The boiling
points follow a similar trend.
 FIRST AND SECOND IONISATION ENERGIES
As we go down the group, the outer electrons are:
• further away from the nucleus
•screened more effectively by the greater number of inner
electron shells.
These factors outweigh the effect of the increased nuclear
charge and so it is easer to remove these electrons as we go
down the group.
SOME REACTIONS OF GROUP II METALS
When Group II metals react, they lose the two electrons
from their outer shell. So they act as reducing agents. They
are more reactive down the group because it is easer to lose
some outer electrons.
 THE REACTIONS WITH
OXYGEN
FORMATION OF SIMPLE OXIDES
Metals burn in oxygen to form a simple metal oxide.
Beryllium is reluctant to burn unless it is in the form of dust or
powder.
Reaction with oxygen is a REDOX REACTION . The reactivity
with oxygen increases down the group.

2M(s) + O2(g) → 2MO(s)

The oxides are BASIC in character, reacting with water to form

hydroxides:

MO(s) + H2O(l) → M(OH)2

The hydroxides become more soluble as you go down the
Group.
 REACTION WITH
WATER
BERYLLIUM has no reaction with water or steam even at red
heat.
MAGNESIUM reacts very slowly with cold water but more
vigorously with steam to produce white magnesium oxide and
hydrogen gas.
Mg(s) + H2O(g) → MgO(s) + H2(g)
Mg(s) + 2H2O(l) → Mg(OH)2(s) + H2(g)
CALCIUM reacts vigorously with cold water to form calcium
hydroxide and H2(g). A white precipitate is observed but some
Ca(OH)2 dissolves to form a weakly alkaline solution.
STRONTIUM and BARIUM in a similar manner with on
increasing vigour. The resulting solutions get more alkaline
down the group as the solubility of the hydroxides produced
increases.
 REACTION WITH DILUTE
ACIDS
All members of the group react readily with acids to form
salt and hydrogen gas.
The reactivity increases down the group.

Mg(s) + 2HCl(aq) → MgCl2(aq) + H2(g)

Ba(s) + H2SO4 (aq) → BaSO4(s) + H2(g)

 THERMAL DECOMPOSITION OF CARBONATES

Group II carbonates from Mg to Ba undergo thermal

decomposition to give the metal oxide and carbon
dioxide gas. Thermal decomposition is the term given to
splitting up a compound by heating it.

MCO3(s) → MO(s) + CO2(g)

Going down Group II, the carbonates become more

resistant to thermal decomposition.
 THERMAL DECOMPOSITION OF CARBONATES

All Group II cations have the same charge (+2) but as

we go down the group:
• The size of the metal cation increases.
•The smaller the cation, the better it is at distorting the
electron cloud charge of the larger carbonate ion.
•Smaller ions are better polarises of larger ions.
•So Group II carbonates with smaller ions have a greater
degree of covalence in the ionic bonding
•The greater the degree of covalence, the less is the
energy required to break a C=O bond in the carbonate
ion.
 AS YOU GO DOWN THE GROUP, THE
CARBONATES HAVE TO BE HEATED MORE
STRONGLY BEFORE THEY WILL
DECOMPOSE.

THE CARBONATES BECOME MORE STABLE

TO HEAT AS YOU GO DOWN THE GROUP.
 THE STRUCTURE OF THE CARBONATE
ION
Polarising the
carbonate ion
Now imagine what
happens when this ion is
placed next to a positive
ion. The positive ion
attracts the delocalised
electrons in the
carbonate ion towards
itself. The carbonate ion
becomes polarised.
EXPLAINING THE TREND IN TERMS OF THE
POLARISING ABILITY OF THE POSITIVE ION

A small 2+ ion has a lot of charge packed into a small

volume of space. It has a high charge density and will
have a marked distorting effect on any negative ions
which happen to be near it.
A bigger 2+ ion has the same charge spread over a
larger volume of space. Its charge density will be lower,
and it will cause less distortion to nearby negative ions.
THERMAL DECOMPOSITION OF CARBONATES
 THERMAL DECOMPOSITION OF GROUP II
NITRATES
All the nitrates in this Group undergo thermal decomposition
to give the white metal oxide, brown nitrogen dioxide and
oxygen gas.

2M(NO3)2(s) → 2MO(s) + 4NO2(g) + O2(g)

Going down the Group II, the nitrates also become more
resistant to thermal decomposition. The smaller the cation:
•The better it is at distorting the electron cloud charge of the
larger nitrate ion.
•The greater the degree of covalence in the ionic bonding.
•The less energy required to break a particular N-O bond in
the nitrate ion.
 AS YOU GO DOWN THE GROUP, THE
NITRATES ALSO HAVE TO BE HEATED
MORE STRONGLY BEFORE THEY WILL
DECOMPOSE.

THE NITRATES ALSO BECOME MORE

STABLE TO HEAT AS YOU GO DOWN THE
GROUP.
 SOLUBILITY OF GROUP II SULPHATES

• The solubility of Group II sulphates in water decreases

down the group.
• Magnesium sulphate is very soluble.
• Barium sulphate is ‘insoluble’.
• Solubility depends on the enthalpy change of solution,
the more endothermic the value of ∆H0sol the less
soluble is the salt.
• The enthalpy change of solution depends on the
relative values of lattice energy, ∆H0latt and the energy
changes of hydration of the aqueous ions, ∆H0hydr .
 SOLUBILITY OF GROUP II SULPHATES

• Lattice energy decreases down the group in the order:

MgSO4 ˃ CaSO4 ˃ BaSO4
• This decrease is fairly small because it is determined more
by the size of large sulphate ion than by the cation.
• The enthalpy change of hydration also increases in the
same order. But this decrease as relatively larger because it
is determined more by the size of the cations than the
anion.
• By the Hess’s law:
∆H0sol = ∆H0hydr - ∆H0latt
• So ∆H0hydr - ∆H0latt gets more endothermic down the
group (the value of ∆H0 gets more positive). So the
solubility decreases.
 SOLUBILITY OF GROUP II HYDROXIDES

The hydroxides become more soluble down the group.

•Magnesium hydroxide appears to be insoluble in water.
However, if it is shaken in water and filtered, the solution is
slightly basic. This indicates that there are more hydroxide
ions in solution than there were in the original water. This is
because some magnesium hydroxide has dissolved.
Since the hydroxide ion is not as large as the sulphate
carbonate ions, the lattice energy decreases significantly
down the group. This outweighs the change in the hydration
energy so the solubility increases down the group.
SOLUBILITY OF THE HYDROXIDES
BECOMES MORE SOLUBLE AS YOU
GO DOWN THE GROUP.

SOLUBILITY OF THE CARBONATES

BECOMES LESS SOLUBLE AS YOU
GO DOWN THE GROUP.

SOLUBILITY OF THE SULPHATES

BECOMES LESS SOLUBLE AS YOU
GO DOWN THE GROUP.
 USES OF GROUP II

Magnesium oxide:
• for lining furnaces.
Magnesium hydroxide
• in indigestion tablets and toothpaste to
remove acidity
Calcium oxide:
• making cement and mortar; drying agent.
Calcium hydroxide:
• neutralizing acidic soil, making bleaching
powder; making limewater.
 USES OF GROUP II

Calcium carbonate:
• limestone blocks for building; removing SiO2 as
slag in the blast furnace for the extraction of iron,
• making calcium oxide for cement.
• Calcium carbonate is widely used as an extender in
paints
• Calcium carbonate is widely used medicinally as an
inexpensive dietary calcium supplement or gastric
antiacid.
• Calcium carbonate is used in the production of
toothpaste.
 Key points
• Group II elements from Mg to Ba are metals which
react with water to produce hydrogen and a metal
hydroxide.
• The atomic radii of the metals increase down the
group
• Group II metals burn in air to form oxides which are
more soluble down the group.
• The reactivity of Group II elements with oxygen,
water and dilute hydrochloric acid increases down the
group.
 Key points
• Group II carbonates and nitrates are more resistant to
thermal decomposition down the group. This is
because of the decreasing degree of polarisation of
the large CO32- or NO3- ion by the increasingly large
metal cation.
• The decreasing solubility of the Group II sulphates
down the group can be explained in terms of the
relative values of their enthalpy changes of hydration
and lattice energies.