alkaline earth metal summary

Learn about the structure of alkaline earth metal and its importance to science, chemistry, and biology

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Below is the article summary. For the full article, see alkaline-earth metal.

A color-coded periodic table of the elements displays each element's symbol and atomic number, with categories such as alkali metals, noble gases, halogens, transition metals, and actinoid elements distinguished by different background colors. — Periodic tableModern version of the periodic table of the elements (printable).

alkaline earth metal, Any of the six chemical elements in the second leftmost group of the periodic table (beryllium, magnesium, calcium, strontium, barium, and radium). Their name harks back to medieval alchemy. Their atoms have two electrons in the outermost shell, so they react readily, form numerous compounds, and are never found free in nature.