Group 2

OCR Salters Group 2 - earth metals,

Group 2 elements form 2+ ions.

Element            Atom                            Ion

Be                   1s2,2s2                        1s2

Mg            1s2,2s2,2p6,3s2           1s2,2s2,2p6,3s2,3p6

(All Group 2 elements all have two electrons in their outer shell (s2). They lose their two electrons to form 2+ ions. Their ions then have every atom's dream structure - that of a noble gas.

Reactivity Increases as you go down the group  

• As you go down a group, the ionisation energies decrease. Due to the increasing atomic radius and shielding.
• When Group 2 elements react they lose electrons, forming positive ions (cations). The easier it is to lose electrons the…