Alkali metals have a general outermost electronic configuration of [tex] ns^{1} [/tex]
Alkali earth metals have a general outermost electronic configuration of [tex] ns^{2} [/tex]
The +1 ion of the alkali metals has a stable octet configuration of the nearest noble gas as the outermost ns electron is lost.
The +2 ion of the alkaline earth metals has a stable configuration of the nearest noble gas as the two electrons in the outermost ns shell are lost.
