Which of the following order is correct regarding electropositive character of alkaline earth metals ?

Options

A. `Be lt Mg gt Ca lt Sr lt Ra`
B. `Be lt Mg lt Ca lt Sr lt Ba`
C. `Be lt Mg lt Ca lt Sr lt Ba`
D. None of the above

Answer

To determine the correct order regarding the electropositive character of alkaline earth metals, we need to understand the trends in the electropositive nature of these elements.

### Step-by-Step Solution:

1. **Identify Alkaline Earth Metals**:
The alkaline earth metals include Beryllium (Be), Magnesium (Mg), Calcium (Ca), Strontium (Sr), Barium (Ba), and Radium (Ra).

2. **Understand Electropositive Character**:
Electropositive character refers to the ability of an element to donate electrons. The more electropositive an element is, the more readily it can lose its outermost electrons.

3. **Trends in Electropositive Character**:
- As we move down the group in the periodic table, the electropositive character of alkaline earth metals increases. This is due to the increase in atomic size and the decrease in ionization energy.
- The elements at the bottom of the group (like Barium and Radium) are more electropositive compared to those at the top (like Beryllium).

4. **Order of Electropositive Character**:
Based on the trends, the correct order of electropositive character from least to most is:
\[ \text{Be} < \text{Mg} < \text{Ca} < \text{Sr} < \text{Ba} < \text{Ra} \]

5. **Conclusion**:
Therefore, the correct order regarding the electropositive character of alkaline earth metals is from Beryllium to Radium, indicating that Radium is the most electropositive.