[HongKongALevelboy]

why are group 1 metal oxides more alkaline than group 2 metal oxides in water ? please help me stop wondering . ( why are group 1 hydroxides more alkaline that those of group 2 ) , is it a matter of the solubility of metal hydroxide ions and should group 2 hydroxides be solid ?

[Demotivator]

group 2 oxides have more covalent character than group 1 because higher cation charge draws more electron density from oxygen towards the metal than group1. Therefore group 2 is less ionic and less soluble.
When group 2 hydrolyzes in water it produces hydroxide, but the reaction is a reversible equilibrium.
Group 1 hydrolysis is essentially complete.

[budullewraagh]

ay, alkali hydroxides dissociate much more thoroughly than alkaline earth hydroxides

[Mitch]

how does one become more alkaline?

[HongKongALevelboy]

thx a lot , demotivator , i understand it now , i ll take my Hong Kong Advanced Level Examination on March of 2005 , meanwhile , i would raise many questions , i will be grateful if u guys are willing to take trouble to answer me .

[jdurg]

how does one become more alkaline?

I've heard the term 'alkaline' used many times in the past to describe the level of OH^- concentration of a solution.  So one metal is more alkaline than another if it forms more hydroxide ions when going into solution.  

[Mitch]

I was making a subtle point that the group 1 elements are alkalai metals not alkaline earth elements like the group 2 elements are. So to describe group 1 metals as alkaline seemed strange to me. I think I was too subtle though.