Periodic Trends Flashcards
Atomic Radius
the average distance from the center of an atom’s nucleus to the outermost shell of its electron
Increases-top to bottom
decreases-left to right
Ionization Energy
the amount of energy needed to remove the most loosely held electron from an isolated, gaseous atom
increases-left to right
decreases-as you move down a period
Electron Affinity
the amount of energy released when a neutral atom gains an electron to form a negative ion.
Ex: “the energy released when a chlorine atom gains an electron to form a chloride ion”
increases-left to right
decreases-down the periodic table.
Metallic Character
the tendency of an element to lose electrons easily, forming positive ions (cations),
decrease: left to right
increase: as you move down a periodic table.
Electronegativity
an atom’s tendency to attract shared electrons towards itself when forming a chemical bond
increase-Left to Right
decrease-top to bottom
Shielding
the core electrons repelling the outer electrons, which lowers the effective charge of the nucleus on the outer electrons.