(a) What is the general relationship between the size of an atom and its first ionization energy? (b) Which element in the periodic table has the largest ionization energy? Which has the smallest?

Short Answer

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(a) As the atomic size increases, the ionization energy decreases. This is because larger atoms have their outermost electrons farther from the nucleus and experience less attractive force from the protons in the nucleus, requiring less energy to be removed. (b) The element with the largest ionization energy is Helium (He), while the element with the smallest ionization energy is Francium (Fr).

Step by step solution

01

(a) Understanding ionization energy and atomic size

Ionization energy is the energy required to remove an electron from a neutral atom in the gaseous state. Atomic size is the distance from the center of an atom's nucleus to its outermost electron shell.
02

(a) Relationship between atomic size and ionization energy

As the atomic size increases, the ionization energy decreases. This is because the outermost electrons are farther from the nucleus, and thus, they experience less attractive force from the protons in the nucleus. Consequently, it requires less energy to remove an electron from a larger atom as compared to a smaller atom. Now, let's move to the second part of the question.
03

(b) Identifying the element with the largest ionization energy

In the periodic table, ionization energy generally increases as one moves from left to right across a period and decreases as one moves downwards in a group. The reason for this is that when moving from left to right, the number of protons in the nucleus increases, making the positive charge of the nucleus stronger. This increases the attractive force between the nucleus and the electrons, making it harder to remove an electron. The element with the largest ionization energy is the one that has the smallest atomic size and is located in the upper-right corner of the periodic table. The element is Helium (He), located in group 18 and period 1.
04

(b) Identifying the element with the smallest ionization energy

Conversely, the element with the smallest ionization energy is the one that has the largest atomic size and is located in the lower-left corner of the periodic table. The element is Francium (Fr), located in group 1 and period 7. In summary: - There is an inverse relationship between atomic size and ionization energy: as atomic size increases, ionization energy decreases. - The element with the largest ionization energy is Helium (He), while the element with the smallest ionization energy is Francium (Fr).

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