Answer to Question #151623 in General Chemistry for Nalani Fry

Question

Ionization energy (IE) is the energy required to remove an electron from an atom. As atomic radius increases, the valence electrons get farther from the nucleus. How do you think an atom’s size will affect its ability to hold on to its valence electrons? Why?

Answer 1

Answer:

The bigger the atom the lesser the ability of the atom to hold on to its valence electrons.

Explanation:

Atomic radius can be looked at as the distance between the nucleus and the outermost energy level. As an atom gets bigger, the outer shell gets further and further from the positive nucleus. this means that electrons that are in the outer energy level become less held (attracted) by the nucleus because of distance and shielding of the attractive forces by the electrons in the lower energy levels. This means that as an atom becomes bigger, its ability to hold on to its outer electrons lessens.