M4 The
Periodic Table: Group 1 & 2 metals
Slide 35 of 42
How do Group 2 metal
atoms react?
They react by
donating their 2 valence electrons.
Mg
Magnesium atom
Magnesium atom after donating 2 electrons
Mg
And the reason group 2 elements in the same period have lower reactivity
than group 1 element is because they
–Firstly,
need to lose two electrons, twice as many as group 1 elements, and
–Secondly,
have more protons in their nucleus which attract the valence electrons
more strongly, making it harder for them lose the electrons.