8. Tutorial Worksheet for CHI101 The
Alkaline Earth Metals
Richard Betz
January 30, 2021
1. How are the alkaline earth metals obtained as pure elements?
2. Why are the elements of Group
metals' ?
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collectively referred to as the 'alkaline earth
3. What are the 'silicothermal' and the 'aluminothermal' process?
4. What is the significance of the
Grignard Reaction?
5. How do the temporary hardness and the permanent hardness of tap water differ
from one another? How do either one even get into the water in the first place?
And why is water in Cape Town and Port Elizabeth, overall, rather "soft"?
6. Beryllium compounds differ markedly from their heavier homologues. This is an
observation that is also true for boron compounds and their respective heavier homologues and will appear again for lithium compounds and, in turn, their heavier
homologues. Can you think of a reason why this could be the case?
7. Balance the following reaction schemes:
a) Ba + H2 −−→ BaH2
b) Ra + H3 PO4 −−→ Ra3 (PO4 )2 + H2
c) Be + O2 −−→ BeO
d) SrO + C60 −−→ Sr + CO2
e) Ca(OH)2 + HNO3 −−→ Ca(NO3 )2 + H2 O
8. If ignited and thrown into a jar that then has its lid closed hermetically magnesium
will continue burning until all of the metallic element has been consumed. What
would be the products if, in the end, water is added to the resultant residue of this
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combustion?
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