Answer to Question #238455 in General Chemistry for Sachi

Question

Consider a Fluorine atom (F) and a Fluorine anion (F-). Which of these two species would you expect to have a larger radius? Explain your answer.

Answer 1

Flourine atom

The shielding effect explains why valence shell electrons are more easily removed from the atom. The nucleus can pull the valence shell in tighter when the attraction is strong and less tight when the attraction is weakened. The more shielding that occurs, the further the valence shell can spread out. As a result, atoms will be larger.