Which one of the following is an alkaline earth element? a) carbon b)sodium c)zinc d)iron

Alkaline Earth metals belong to group II in the periodic table.

Actually there's nothing in the choices that belongs to group II. Carbon belongs to group IV, Sodium belongs to group I, while Zinc and Iron are found in transition metal group.

Hmmm. Maybe the question meant to ask about alkalis. Sodium is an alkali metal.

Zinc

Clearly my solution

To determine which one of the following elements is an alkaline earth element, we need to understand the characteristics of alkaline earth metals. Alkaline earth metals are the elements in Group 2 of the periodic table, consisting of beryllium (Be), magnesium (Mg), calcium (Ca), strontium (Sr), barium (Ba), and radium (Ra).

Next, we can analyze the options provided:
a) Carbon is not an alkaline earth element. It is a nonmetal and belongs to Group 14 of the periodic table.
b) Sodium is not an alkaline earth element, either. It is a metal, but it belongs to Group 1 (alkali metals) of the periodic table.
c) Zinc is not an alkaline earth element. It is a transition metal and belongs to Group 12 of the periodic table.
d) Iron is not an alkaline earth element either. It is also a transition metal, but it belongs to Group 8 of the periodic table.

Based on this analysis, none of the options provided (a) carbon, b) sodium, c) zinc, or d) iron) are alkaline earth elements.