Answer to Question #60506 in Chemistry for Tim

Question

Explain how ionisation energy data can be used to predict electronic structures in detail.

Answer 1

The ionization energy (IE) is qualitatively defined as the amount of energy required to remove the most loosely bound electron, the valence electron, of an isolated gaseous atom to form a cation.
It is related to the electron configuration of an atom.
For example, electrons located closer to a core have a stronger bounding with it. Therefore, greater energy is required to remove that electron. That is why, the greater ionization energy, the closer electron is to the core.