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Chapter 11: Problem 10

Discuss the trend of stability of oxides, carbonates and sulphates of Group 2 elements.

Short Answer

Expert verified
The stability of oxides and carbonates of group 2 elements increases as we move down the group, due to an increase in lattice energy and less polarization of anions by cations respectively. On the other hand, the stability of sulphates decreases as we move down the group, due to the reduction in lattice energy.

Step by step solution

01

Stability of Oxides

Firstly, consider the chemical nature of the group 2 elements and their oxides. Group 2 elements form oxides with formula MO, where M represents a Group 2 element. As we descend the group, the stabilization of the oxides increases due to the increase in lattice energy that comes from the smaller size of the oxides.
02

Stability of Carbonates

Next, the stability of the carbonates will be discussed - these compounds have the formula MCO3. The general trend in carbonates is that, like oxides, stability increases as we move down the group. This is due to the fact that the polarization of the larger anions (carbonate ions) by the smaller cations on top of the group is more, leading to the decomposition of the carbonate. As we move down the group, the cation size increases, which can’t polarize the anion. Thus, stability increases down the group.
03

Stability of Sulphates

Lastly, the stability of sulphates of Group 2 elements (MSO4 compounds) will be considered. Unlike the previous trends, sulphates become less stable as we move down the group. This is primarily due to the decrement in the lattice energy of the larger sulphate ions by the increasing size of the cations.

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