  Employing first-principle electronic structure calculations, we study the
magnetic and electronic properties of the XY (X= Mg, Ca, Sr and Y= N, P, As,
Sb) compounds crystallizing in the zincblende structure. The Ca and Sr
alkaline-earth metal monopnictides are found to be half-metallic with a total
spin magnetic moment per formula unit of 1.0 $\mu_B$. In the case of the Mg
alloys the p-d hybridization effect is much weaker and only MgN is a
half-metal. Electron counting of the bands explains the Slater-Pauling behavior
exhibited by the total spin magnetic moment. We also study for these alloys the
effect of deformation taking into account both the cases of hydrostatic
pressure and tetragonalization keeping constant either the in-plane lattice
parameters or the unit cell volume. Even large degrees of deformation only
marginally affect the electronic and magnetic properties of these alloys.
Finally, we show that this stands also for the rocksalt structure. Our results
suggest that alkaline-earth metal monopnictides are promising materials for
magnetoelectronic applications.
