Periodic Trends

Can Studying Chemistry Be Trendy?

Atomic Radius The atomic radius of an element is an estimate of the size of an atom from its nucleus to its outer perimeter. The Trend of Atomic Radius… Atomic radius gets smaller as you move left to right on the periodic table. Atomic radius gets larger as you go top to bottom on the periodic table. Understanding atomic radius will actually help us understand some of the other periodic trends.

Atomic Radius

Ionization Energy The trend of ionization energy deals with ions – atoms that have lost or gained electrons. (Anions are negative ions; cations are positive ions). Ionization energy is the energy needed to remove an electron from a gaseous atom. The Trend of Ionization Energy… Ionization energy increases as you go left to right on the periodic table. Ionization energy gets weaker as you move down a column on the periodic table.

Ionization Energy

Electronegativity The Trend of Electronegativity… Electronegativity is the relative strength of attraction an atom has for electrons while it is in a chemical bond. Remember that chemical bonds can involve the sharing of pairs of electrons. The atoms are literally fighting to gain possession of those electrons – the amount “electron-grabbing muscle” they have is called electronegativity. The Trend of Electronegativity… Electronegativity increases as you go left to right across the periodic table. Electronegativity decreases as you go down a column on the periodic table.

Electronegativity

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