Alkaline earth metals of the Periodic Table

The alkaline earth metals are the group 2 elements: reactive metals, harder than the alkali metals and with higher melting points, that usually form ions with a +2 charge. There are 6 elements of this category in the periodic table, from Beryllium (Be), atomic number 4, to Radium (Ra), atomic number 88.

Alkaline earth metals at a glance

Number of elements: 6
Phase under standard conditions: Solid 6 elements

Element list

Atomic no.	Symbol	Name	Atomic mass	Phase	Short configuration
4	Be	Beryllium	9.0122	Solid	[He] 2s²
12	Mg	Magnesium	24.305	Solid	[Ne] 3s²
20	Ca	Calcium	40.078	Solid	[Ar] 4s²
38	Sr	Strontium	87.62	Solid	[Kr] 5s²
56	Ba	Barium	137.33	Solid	[Xe] 6s²
88	Ra	Radium	226	Solid	[Rn] 7s²

Frequently asked questions

Which elements are the alkaline earth metals?

The alkaline earth metals are Beryllium, Magnesium, Calcium, Strontium, Barium and Radium.

How many elements are in the alkaline earth metals category?

The periodic table has 6 elements in the alkaline earth metals category.