Concept:
Solubility of ionic compounds depends on the balance between lattice energy and hydration energy. For alkaline earth metal fluorides, lattice energy dominates the trend.
Step 1: Identify the trend.
Down the group (Mg → Ba):
• Cation size increases
• Lattice energy decreases (but slowly)
• Hydration energy decreases significantly (due to larger cation size)
Step 2: Compare lattice energy vs hydration energy.
For fluorides, the decrease in hydration energy down the group is more rapid than the decrease in lattice energy. As a result, solubility decreases down the group:
\[
MgF_2>CaF_2>SrF_2>BaF_2
\]
MgF\(_2\) is relatively more soluble, while BaF\(_2\) is the least soluble.
Step 3: Conclusion.
Option (A) gives the correct decreasing order.