(iii) Group 2 Elements

•Alkaline earth metals

Be •Name of the group is derived from the fact that their hydroxides are basic;
however the relative low solubilities of the hydroixdes in water makes these
elements more like the typical earth metal, aluminum on the right.
Mg
•The chemistry of Be is different from the rest of the group: Be2+ ion is highly
polarizing and forms highly covalent bond.
Ca
• Diagonal relationship between Be and Al

(i) Both Be and Al form covalent hydrides, halides, and oxides (c.f.
Sr
analogous compounds of Mg are highly ionic)

(ii) Beryllium oxide and aluminium oxide are amphoteric but magnesium
Ba
oxide is basic

(iii) Be and Al form carbides that contain the C4- ion. The other group 2
Ra
carbides contain C22- ion.

(iv) BeCl2, like AlCl3, is very sensitive to hydrolysis, can be sublimed, and act
as Lewis acids, being soluble in many organic e-donor solvents. MgCl2 has
more ionic character
•The ionic character of the compounds increases down the
group. Be forms highly covalent compounds generally with sp3
hybridization. Mg forms more polar compounds with six
coordination.

•The oxides becomes progressively basic down the group. BeO

and Be(OH)2 are is amphoteric (reacts with both acids and
bases). Mg O is basic and Mg(OH)2 is weakly basic. The oxides
of Ca, Sr and Ba are basic and their hydroxides are strongly
basic.

•The thermal stability of the carbonates, nitrates and suflates

increases down the group.
 (a)Beryllium
The name beryllium comes from
beryl, which was considered as
precious stone in antiquity Beryllium -steel gray metal,
mp = 1278oC
Be is one of the rarer metals; most common minerals
are beryl (Be3Al2(Si6O18) and bertrandite

Industrial Preparation of Be:

Electrolysis of BeCl2 with a small anount of NaCl

Beryl (Emerald)
Chromium-containing
beryl
BeCl2 obtained from bertrandite Be4(OH) 2(Si2O7)

or
BeF2 + Mg → Be + MgF2

Be is the second lightest metal and is hard and brittle

bertrandite
 Beryllium Compounds

• Be and its salts are highly toxic. Inhalation of either the element or
its compounds as vapor or dust causes lung damage (berylliosis)
which is usually fatal. In lower does, the element is carcinogenic

BeO and Be(OH)2 are amphoteric: dissolve in strongly acidic and

basic solutions.

BeO is obtained on ignition of Be or its compounds in air.

• Be(OH)2 precipitates as a white gelatinous solid if a base is added to a
Be salt solution.

Be2+ + 2 OH- → Be(OH)2

• It is amphoteric - react and soluble in acids and strong bases

Not observed

+ 2H+ + 2H2O -
2+ + 2 OH
[Be(OH2)4] Be(OH)2 [Be(OH)4]2-
Be(OH)4- (beryllate) has been postulated as the dominated species of
strongly alkaline solution (pH = 12 – 14).

Precipitates with various counterions have been formulated, among

which a calcium salt, Ca[Be(OH)4] was crystallized in the form of various
hydrates by the structures could not be determined.

In 1998, Hubert Schmidbaur discovered that beryllate crystallized from

NaOH solution at pH 13.2 is not Be(OH)4- but contains a tetranuclear
dianion [Be4(OH)10]2- which has an admantane type structure.

Adamantane
tricyclo[3.3.1.13,7]decane
Be Compounds:

•common oxidation state +2 e.g BeH2, BeO, BeF42-, Be3N2, Be2C

•Like BCl3 and AlCl3, BeCl2 is a Lewis acid which forms adducts with
anions or neutral electron donors such as Cl-, ethers, or ketones

2- Cl
Cl Cl
Be
Be Be O=CR2
Cl OR2 Cl
Cl Cl
Cl OR2 O=CR2

2+ 2+
OH2 NH3

Be Be
OH2 NH3
H2 O H3N
OH2 NH3
 Be compounds with chelate rings
C
O
O C C
O
C
O
C
O C O O C
O C C O C
C O
O C C
O
C

X-ray crystal structure of X-ray crystal structure of

[Be(oxalate)2]2- [Be(acetylacetonate)2]
BeF2 and BeCl2

Synthesis: Beryl is used as a starting material for the compounds

Be3Al2[Si6O18] + conc. H2SO4 → BeSO4 + Al2(SO4)3 + [Si6O18]-12

Aqueous NH3

900 -1000 °C NH4(HF2)

BeF2 NH4[BeF4] Be(OH)2 (s)
400 °C

BeO (s) + C + Cl2

BeCl2 + CO
If the ligand X in BeX2 have more than 1 lone pair, as with
BeCl2, a polymer can be formed

Cl Cl
Cl
Be Be Be Be
Cl Cl Cl
98.2°
Cl
Solid state
Cl Be Cl
Cl

Cl Be Cl Gas phase at 1000 oC

Be(OR)2 (beryllium alkoxides)

•Different structures, depending on the size of R

CH3 CH3
Be(OCH3)2 CH3 O
O O
Be Be Be Be Polymer
O O O
CH3 CH3 CH3
Be(OtBu)2 But But
O O H3C CH3 CH
3
ButO Be Be Be OtBu t C
Bu =
O O
But But

t
Bu But
Linear monomer
But O Be O t
Bu
 (b) Magnesium
The name “magnesium” is derived from the Turkish town of Mganesia;
manganesem and magnetite (Fe3O4) and magnetism were also named after
this town. It is silvery, shiny light metal with m.p. = 650 oC

• Mg makes up 2.0% of the earth’s crust

•Because it is very reactive. It is not found in the

free state, but only as cation in salts particularly
carbonate, silicate, chloride and sulfate

•Industrial preparation: Electrolysis of molten

MgCl2 and alkali metal chloride at ~ 700 – 800 oC

MgCl2 → Mg + Cl2

In spite of its great affinity for oxygen, Mg is

rather stable in air at room temp. Why?

Magnesium metal
At higher temp, Mg ribbon or powder will burn with a blinding
white light to form MgO and Mg3N2

At higher temp, Mg ribbon or powder will burn with a blinding

white light to form

2Mg + O2 → MgO

3 Mg + N2 → Mg3N2

When heated, Mg is a very strong reducing agent

Mg burning in air
because of its strong affinity for oxygen and halogen

e.g. it can reduce very stable oxides like silicon

dioxide:
2Mg + SiO2 → Si + 2 MgO
Mg2+ ion is biologically important
Essential for all plants, animals; human body contains ~ 470
mg/kg body mass

Functions: cofactor of enzymes e.g. restriction nculease, DNA

polymerase
Or NH2
bind and activate substrate e.g. Mg -ATP (adenosine
2+

triphosphate) N
N

O O N N
- O
O O O O
P P P
O
Mg2+-ATP - H H
H O O- O O-
H H H
Mg2+ OH H NH2

N
N

O N N
- O
O O O O
- OH P P
O O
P + -
O O - H H
O- H H
Mg2+ OH H