What is the charge on the ions formed by the alkaline earth metals?

Options

A. `+1`
B. `+2`
C. `-1`
D. `-2`

Explanation

To determine the charge on the ions formed by alkaline earth metals, we can follow these steps:

### Step-by-Step Solution:

1. **Identify the Alkaline Earth Metals**:
The alkaline earth metals are located in Group 2 of the periodic table. The key elements in this group are Beryllium (Be), Magnesium (Mg), Calcium (Ca), Strontium (Sr), Barium (Ba), and Radium (Ra).

2. **Determine the Electronic Configuration**:
- For Magnesium (Mg), the atomic number is 12. Its electronic configuration is 1s² 2s² 2p⁶ 3s², which can be simplified to [Ne] 3s².
- For Calcium (Ca), the atomic number is 20. Its electronic configuration is 1s² 2s² 2p⁶ 3s² 3p⁶ 4s², which can be simplified to [Ar] 4s².

3. **Identify the Valence Electrons**:
Both Magnesium and Calcium, along with other alkaline earth metals, have 2 valence electrons in their outermost shell.

4. **Determine How They Achieve Stability**:
To achieve a stable electronic configuration, alkaline earth metals tend to lose their 2 valence electrons. By losing these electrons, they can attain a noble gas configuration, which is more stable.

5. **Calculate the Charge on the Ions**:
When these metals lose 2 electrons, they become positively charged ions. The charge is calculated as follows:
- Losing 2 electrons results in a charge of +2.
- Therefore, Magnesium becomes Mg²⁺ and Calcium becomes Ca²⁺.

6. **Conclusion**:
The charge on the ions formed by alkaline earth metals is +2.

### Final Answer:
The charge on the ions formed by alkaline earth metals is +2.

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