Having closed valence sub-shells, the alkaline earth atoms participate in covalent bonding via orbital hybridization and exchange interactions, with additional contributions from dispersion interactions. Starting from a closed ns(2) configuration imparts different characteristics to the chemistry of this group, as compared to metals that have open-shell atomic ground states. Theoretical studies of the bonding of the Group IIA metals have been pursued for many years, and they are known to be challenging for ab initio electronic structure methods. The bonding motifs have been examined, and the differences between beryllium and the remainder of the group explored. Experimental studies that probe the bonding, particularly for beryllium, have lagged behind the theoretical work. In the present Letter we describe our recent spectroscopic and theoretical investigations of simple beryllium compounds, and discuss these results in terms of their relationship to the properties of the heavier Group IIA elements. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.