The Calcium and the Alkaline Earth Metals

This series uses a common or well-known element to look at the groups of the periodic table and to show the similarities and differences between elements. It uses full-colour illustration of the periodic table and shows the chemical symbol for each element in place, alongside its neighbours. Chemical formulae for common compounds are also shown. Information boxes and tables contain listings of facts and figures. Chemical reactions are interpreted as word equations, and timelines chart the history and discovery of the elements This title covers the extensive range of naturally occurring calcium compounds, their diverse and useful properties and their numerous applications from the building and steel industries to health and medicine. It describes the trends in chemical reactivity down the group from beryllium to magnesium to radium and the extraction of these elements from a wide variety of mineral ores and precious stones.