Final answer:
Alkaline earth metals are silver, soft, and reactive elements that tend to form +2 cations. They have higher first ionization energies compared to alkali metals, making them less reactive but still prone to chemical reactions.
Explanation:
Alkaline earth metals include beryllium, magnesium, calcium, strontium, barium, and radium. They are silver, soft, and quite reactive. These metals tend to form +2 cations due to their electronic arrangement.
Alkaline earth metals have similar properties to alkali metals but are less reactive. They readily lose both valence electrons to form compounds in which they exhibit an oxidation state of 2+. Due to their high reactivity, they are commonly produced by electrolysis.
Alkaline earth metals have a higher first ionization energy compared to alkali metals, making them less reactive. Their reactivity increases with increasing size and decreasing ionization energy.
Learn more about Properties and characteristics of alkaline earth metals here:
https://brainly.com/question/45238467