Group II Elements Flashcards
True or false
Group II elements are less electropositive than group I elements
True
True or False
Group II elements are more reactive than group I elements
False
True or false
Group II elements are good reducing agents
True
(Weaker than Group I though)
Why do group II elements have higher melting and boiling points than group I elements?
- Group II metals contribute 2 electrons per atom to their charge cloud. Their atoms carry a bigger charge and have a smaller ionic radii
- Therefore they form stronger electrostatic attraction between the positively charged metal ions and delocalized electrons resulting into stronger metallic bonds that require more heat energy to break
- Group I metals contribute 1 electron per atom to their charge cloud. Their atoms carry a smaller charge and have a bigger ionic radii
- The electrostatic attraction between the group I cations and delocalized electrons is less resulting into weaker metallic bonds that require less heat energy to break resulting into lower melting points
True or false
Group II compounds are less ionic than corresponding group I elements
True
- Group II cations form smaller cations with a bigger positive charge (+2) thus they have a higher charge density and polarizing power
- Group II cations exert a greater polarizing power on anions than group I cations do
(makes it more covalent-like than ionic)
Why are group II salts less soluble than group I salts?
Both the lattice energies of group II salts and hydration energies of group II cations are much higher than those of corresponding group I salts and group I cations respectively
Why does Beryllium show a significant difference in its chemical properties from the rest of the alkaline earth metals?
Very small ionic radius thus high charge density and polarizing power. Therefore it readily distorts the electron cloud of negatively charged ions forming covalent compounds
How do group II metals react with air?
- Burn in oxygen forming white solid metal oxides
- Magnesium and calcium also react with nitrogen in air and form nitrides
How do group II metals react with acids?
- All react with dilute mineral acids forming a salt and hydrogen gas.
- Beryllium is rendered inactive by nitric acid
- Vigor of the reaction increases down the group but for sulphuric acid it reduces after magnesium due to formation of insoluble sulphates.
How do beryllium and magnesium react with concentrated sulphuric acid?
Form a sulphate, sulphur dioxide and water
True or false
Beryllium is rendered inactive by nitric acid
True
This is due to formation of a protective oxide, beryllium oxide that causes the reaction to stop
How do group II metals react with water?
- Beryllium does not react with water
- Magnesium slowly reacts with cold or hot water but vigorously reacts with steam forming magnesium oxide (white solid) and hydrogen gas.
- Calcium, Strontium and Barium react with cold water forming a metal hydroxide and hydrogen gas.
How do group II metals react with alkalis?
- Beryllium reacts with hot concentrated sodium hydroxide (because of its greater polarizing power) forming a soluble complex of tetrahydroxoberyllate ions and hydrogen gas.
- Other elements do not react with alkalis
How do group II metals react with halogens?
- Hot group II metals react with halogens forming white solid metal dihalides
How do group II metals react with hydrogen gas?
- Heated group II metals react with hydrogen gas forming solid metal hydrides
(Hydrides of Be and Mg are covalent while those of Ca, Sr, Ba are ionic)
How are oxides of group II elements prepared?
- Heating metal carbonates or nitrates
- In the case of MgO; passing steam over heated Mg
True or false
All group II oxides except BeO are basic
True
BeO is amphoteric
But all group II oxides (including Be) react with acids forming salt and water only
What is the result of reacting Beryllium oxide with an alkali?
Soluble complex of tetrahydroxoberyllate ion
Why can’t BeO, MgO and CaO form peroxides but Sr and Ba can?
BeO, MgO and CaO cations are too small to form stable lattices while Sr and Ba cations are big enough to form stable lattices
How are hydroxides of group II metals prepared?
- Action of water on their metal oxides
- Action of aqueous sodium hydroxide on soluble salts of the metals
True or false
All group II hydroxides are basic
False
Beryllium hydroxide is amphoteric, the rest are basic
What is the result of reacting group II metal hydroxides and acids?
A salt and water only
True or false
Beryllium hydroxide reacts with alkalis
True
Forms a soluble complex of tetrahydroxoberyllate ions
What is the trend of solubility of group II hydroxides?
Solubility increases down the group
Explain why the solubility of group II hydroxides increases down the group
Down the group, both lattice energy and hydration energy decrease in magnitude but lattice energy decreases more rapidly than hydration energy
Explain why the solubility of group II hydroxides increases down the group
Down the group, both lattice energy and hydration energy decrease in magnitude but lattice energy decreases more rapidly than hydration energy
How are group II sulphates prepared
Action of aqueous sodium sulphate on aqueous solutions of metal salts
Describe and explain the trend in solubility of group II sulphates
Solubility of sulphates decreases down the group
Both lattice energy and hydration energy of group II sulphates decrease but hydration energy decreases more rapidly than lattice energy
How are group II carbonates prepared?
Precipitation by adding aqueous sodium carbonate to an aqueous solution of a group II salt
Describe and explain the trend in solubility of group II carbonates
All are insoluble in water
What is the trend of thermostability of group II carbonates?
Increases down the group
Explanation:
- The ionic radius of group II ions increases from Be2+ to Ba2+, but the ionic charge remains constant
- The ionic character of the carbonates increases down from beryllium carbonate to barium carbonate due to reduction in polarizing power
- Due to increase in ionic character of the carbonates, their decomposition temperature increases down the group
What is the trend of hydrolysis of group II salts?
- As the cationic radius increases from beryllium to barium, the charge density and polarizing power of the cations reduces as well
- As the polarizing power decreases down the group, the degree of hydrolysis of group II also decrease
- Be2+ ion with the highest polarizing power has its salts hydrolyzed in water forming acidic solutions
- The high polarizing power of the beryllium ion results into formation of the strong Be–O bond that weakens the O–H bond in the complex
- The solvent water molecules remove a proton from the complex, forming hydronium ions in the solution becomes acidic
- A few magnesium and calcium salts are hydrolyzed in water forming slightly acidic solutions
- Sr and Ba salts are not hydrolyzed in water
Define a complex
A complex is a compound or ion consisting of a Central metal ion or atom bonded to negatively charged ions or neutral molecules with lone pairs of electrons through coordinate bonding
What factors favor complex ion formation?
- small, highly charged cations
- Presence of empty orbitals on the Central metal ion or atom
- Lone pair of electrons on the ligands
Why does the ability to form complexes decrease down the group in group II?
This is because as ionic radius increases down the group, both the charge density and polarizing power decrease, and the ability of the cations to attract lone pairs of electrons from ligands reduces
What is a ligand?
A negatively charged ion or neutral molecule, with at least one lone pair of electrons, which it can donate to empty orbitals of a metal cation or atom