Group 1 and Group 2 comparison
Group 1 is the alkali metals, and Group 2 is the alkaline earth metals which include beryllium, magnesium, calcium, strontium, barium, and radium. Some differences between them are:
- Alkaline earth metals are the second most reactive family as they have 2 valence electrons and therefore have higher ionization energies
- They are less softer and have higher melting points than alkali metals
- They also have low density but sink in water
- The last four alkaline earth metals react with water to form metal hydroxide and hydrogen gas, while all alkali metals react with water
- Alkaline earth metals can directly react with nitrogen to form nitrides
- The thermal stability of carbonates of alkali metals are higher than that of alkaline earth metals
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