What is the trend of solubility, thermal stability and basic character of hydroxides fo alkaline earth metals ?

Explanation

To analyze the trend of solubility, thermal stability, and basic character of hydroxides of alkaline earth metals, we will consider the following aspects step by step:

### Step 1: Understanding Hydroxides of Alkaline Earth Metals
Alkaline earth metals include beryllium (Be), magnesium (Mg), calcium (Ca), strontium (Sr), and barium (Ba). Their hydroxides are represented as Be(OH)₂, Mg(OH)₂, Ca(OH)₂, Sr(OH)₂, and Ba(OH)₂.

### Step 2: Trend of Solubility
- **Observation**: As we move down the group from Be(OH)₂ to Ba(OH)₂, the solubility of hydroxides increases.
- **Reason**: This is due to the increase in the size of the cations (from Be²⁺ to Ba²⁺), which leads to increased polarizability. The hydration energy decreases more significantly than the lattice energy, resulting in greater solubility.
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