Group 2 of the Periodic Table

Group 2 of the periodic table (Alkaline earth metals) has 6 elements: Beryllium, Magnesium, Calcium, Strontium, Barium and Radium. Elements in a group have a similar last electron shell; the outer-shell pattern of all of them is ns², so they show similar chemical properties. Moving down a group, the number of shells and the atomic radius usually increase.

Alkaline earth metals

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.

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

What are the group 2 elements of the periodic table?

The group 2 elements are Beryllium (Be), Magnesium (Mg), Calcium (Ca), Strontium (Sr), Barium (Ba) and Radium (Ra).

How many elements are in group 2?

Group 2 of the periodic table has 6 elements (excluding the lanthanides and actinides).