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State and give the reason for the trend in atomic radii across the second period of the periodic table. - Leaving Cert Chemistry - Question (b) - 2018
Question (b)
State and give the reason for the trend in atomic radii across the second period of the periodic table.
Worked Solution & Example Answer:State and give the reason for the trend in atomic radii across the second period of the periodic table. - Leaving Cert Chemistry - Question (b) - 2018
Step 1
Step 2
Give the reason for the trend
Answer
This decrease is due to the increase in effective nuclear charge. As more protons are added to the nucleus while electrons are added to the same principal energy level, the attraction between the nucleus and the electron cloud increases. Consequently, the electrons are pulled closer to the nucleus, resulting in a smaller atomic radius.