Chemistry Year 1

Question 1

Describe the trend in period 3’s second ionisation energies? How is this related to the energy levels of their electrons?

Answer 1

• Na has the highest second ionisation energy with a large gap.
• Si’s ionisation energy is lower than Al’s, but slightly higher than Mg’s.
• Cl’s ionisation energy is only slightly lower than Sulfur’s.
  (their 2nd valence electron being lost from a higher energy level, meaning less energy is required to remove them)

Question 1

To avoid deceleration, what is the flight tube under? Why is this helpful?

Answer 1

A vacuum. This prevents interactions between the sample and the surrounding air.