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Glite Dictionary
alkaline earth

alkaline earth

7.2
A metal in the second column of the periodic table, like magnesium or calcium
  • noun
  • /ˈæl.kə.laɪn ɜrθ/
  • Specialized
translation icon : metales alcalinotérreos
  • Chemists often study the properties of alkaline earth metals to understand their reactivity and applications.

Examples

  • The alkaline earth metals, including magnesium and calcium, are essential for various biological functions.

  • The alkalis and alkaline earth metals transform from formally d0 to d1 and d2 metals; in effect, they assume the properties of other elements.

    Academic text (1998)

  • Among the alkaline earth metals, barium is commonly used in medical imaging for digestive tract examinations.

Synonyms

alkaline-earth metal
vsalkaline earth
  • Specialized
7.2

A metal like calcium or magnesium that makes substances that are not acidic

lists the same Group II divalent metals without mentioning oxide properties

Surface Forms

alkaline earth singular
alkaline earths plural

Morphology

alkaline + earth

This is a specialized chemistry term for a class of divalent metallic elements; a B1 learner who knows 'alkaline' (basic) and the common sense of 'earth' (ground/soil) would not be able to infer the technical meaning. 'Earth' here has a historical/technical sense and the compound is conventionalized, so the overall meaning is not transparently derived from the parts.

Etymology

Alkaline earth comes from early chemists. They called dry, soil-like powders 'earths' and called the ones that made a 'base' alkaline, so the name alkaline earth now refers to the metal elements like calcium and magnesium that form these basic compounds.