Question

How do you list the alkaline earth metals in order of their chemical reactivity, starting with most reactive?

Answer 1

The larger the alkaline earth metal, i.e. the higher the `Z`, the more reactive it is.

Explanation:

All of the alkali earth metals are reactive metals. They are excellent reductants. But beryllium is less reactive than magnesium, which is less reactive than calcium

So how do we account for this? As the valence electron becomes farther separated from the nuclear core, it becomes easier to remove and cause a reduction reaction.