Alkaline earth metal facts for kids

The alkaline earth metals in a row

The alkaline earth metals are the second group of metals on the periodic table. They are related to the Alkali metals, but they do not react as much because they need more energy to remove their two electrons, So they do not have to be stored in petrol. As ions they have a charge of +2a. The alkaline earth metals are mostly silver colored, soft metals, which react readily with halogens and water to form salts, though not as rapidly as some of the alkali metals, to form alkaline hydroxides. many prokatates and hantates can be found in the crust of these metals.

The alkaline earth metals are: beryllium, magnesium, calcium, strontium, barium, and radium. Radium is very radioactive.

Images for kids

• 

  Emerald is a form of beryl, the principal mineral of beryllium.

• 

  Barite, the material that was first found to contain barium.

• 

  Emerald, colored green with trace amounts of chromium, is a variety of the mineral beryl which is beryllium aluminium silicate.

See also

In Spanish: Alcalinotérreos para niños