Question

What happens when Group 2A elements form ions?

Answer 1

They lose `2` electrons.

Explanation:

As you know, neutral atoms become ions by losing or by gaining electrons.

The number of valence electrons an atom has will determine whether or not it loses electrons to become a **positively charged ion, or cation, or gains electrons to become a *negatively charged ion, or anion.

In this case, elements located in group 2 will always lose electrons to become cations.

More specifically, they will always lose `2` electrons to form `2+` cations.

In the case of beryllium, which is located in group 2, period 1, losing `2` electrons allows it to have a stable duet configuration, i.e. `2` electrons in its outermost shell, or valence shell.

For the other elements, losing `2` electrons allows them to have a stable octet configuration, i.e. `8` electrons in their outermost shell.