First slide

Alkaline earth metals

Question

Which of the carbonates given below is unstable in air and is kept in CO_2, atmosphere to avoid decomposition?

Moderate

A

BeCO₃
B

MgCO₃
C

CaCO₃
D

BaCO₃

Solution

(1) BeCO₃ is unstable to the extent that it is stable only in an atmosphere of CO_2. BeCO₃ shows a reversible reaction because the stability of oxide formed is more than carbonates.
${BeCO}_{3} ⇌ BeO + {CO}_{2}$
BeCO₃ is unstable due to the strong polarising effect of small Be²⁺ ions on the large polarisable carbonation. Moreover, extra stability of the oxide achieved through lattice energy by packing small cation with a small oxide ion.

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