Final answer:
Alkaline earth metals have two valence electrons, form alkaline solutions upon reacting with water, and are less reactive than alkali metals, demonstrating similar chemical behaviors due to their properties.
Step-by-step explanation:
The alkaline earth metals, which include beryllium, magnesium, calcium, strontium, barium, and radium, have several notable characteristics in common:
- They all have two valence electrons in their outer shell, which they readily lose to form compounds in a +2 oxidation state.
- Their reactions with water form alkaline solutions, especially with the oxides of the heavier members of the group.
- They are less reactive than the alkali metals but still exhibit significant reactivity, which increases down the group as atomic size increases and ionization energy decreases.
Because of these properties, the alkaline earth metals share similar chemical behaviors and are commonly found in various mineral deposits, with calcium and magnesium being among the most abundant elements on Earth.