Help with chemistry!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!?

Question

All of the members of group IIA(periodic table) are expected to behave in the same manner upon becoming ions. The group IIA elements:

a) lose electrons when forming a compound.

b) do not form chemical compounds.

c) gain electrons when forming a compound.

d) gain or lose electrons on the basis of the ion with which it forms a compound.

The electronegativity of sulphur is 2.58 the interpretation of this value is:

a) Sulfur is more likely to accept electrons from other elements.

b) Sulfur does not react chemically.

c) Sulfur is more likely to give up electrons to other elements.

d) Sulfur can either give up or accept electrons equally as well.

Answer 1

The Group 2 elements (I don't know why people still use the old system, calling it Group IIA) have 2 electrons in the outer shell, and hence can form stable +2 ions, leaving a noble gas configuration behind. The answer is a).

The other answers are incorrect. b) is incorrect as many Group 2 compounds are known (CaCO3 is an example). c) is incorrect; negative ions of Group 2 elements are too high in energy to exist an any compound. And, d) is incorrect too, since we have already noted that c) does not happen.

The next question is weird, since you spell S as "sulphur" in the question but as "sulfur" in the answers.

Note that S is just below O in the periodic table. This suggests that it, like oxygen, tends to accept electrons. Its fully non-metallic behaviour supports this too; metals lose electrons; metalloids are borderline. The correct answer is again a). b) is clearly wrong; c) is wrong although sulfur does form bonds to more electronegative elements, giving itself a positive oxidation state (+6 in H2SO4, for example) and d) is wrong given the answers to a) and c).