S1.3 Electron configurations HL Flashcards
Successive ionisation energies
The energies required to remove more and more electrons from an ion that is becoming increasing positive.
Describe the general trend in first ionisation energy (IE) across a period.
IE generally increases across a period due to the increasing nuclear charge, which pulls electrons closer, making them harder to remove.
How does first ionisation energy (IE) change down a group?
IE decreases down a group because electrons are further from the nucleus, in higher energy levels, and shielded by inner electrons, making them easier to remove.
What causes discontinuities in first ionisation energy (IE) trends?
Discontinuities are caused by changes in electron configuration, such as moving from s to p orbitals or encountering half-filled vs. fully filled p orbitals, affecting electron removal ease.
How do you calculate the first IE from the wavelength or frequency of the convergence limit?
Use E=hf for frequency or E=hc/λ for wavelength, convert energy from J to kJ, and multiply by Avogadro’s number to get IE in kJ/mol.
What does successive ionisation refer to in chemistry?
Successive ionisation refers to the process of removing electrons one at a time from an atom, with each step requiring more energy due to the atom’s increasing positive charge.
How can you deduce the group of an element from its successive ionisation energies?
By identifying significant jumps in ionisation energy, which indicate the removal of an electron from a more tightly bound shell. A large increase after removing a specific number of electrons suggests the element’s group in the periodic table.
What does a large increase in ionisation energy after removing three electrons suggest about an element?
It suggests that the element belongs to Group 13, as it has three valence electrons.
