Periodic Trends

What happens to electronegativity as you go from top to bottom within a group on the periodic table? Why?

Electronegativity decreases as one goes from top to bottom within a group because added energy levels and the shielding of nuclear pull by electrons in lower energy levels weaken the ability of the nucleus to attract electrons.

What happens to electronegativity as you go from left to right within a period on the periodic table? Why?

Electronegativity increases from left to right within a period on the table because increased nuclear charge without added energy levels attracts electrons more.

What is electronegativity?

In basic terms, electronegativity is the ability of an atom to attract electrons.

What happens to ionization energy as you go from top to bottom within a group on the periodic table? Why?

Ionization energy decreases as one goes from top to bottom within a group because added energy levels makes valence electrons further from the nucleus, and electrons in lower energy levels between valence electrons and the nucleus weaken the hold of the nucleus on the valence electrons,. This makes them easier to remove.

What happens to ionization energy as you go from left to right within a period on the periodic table? Why?

Ionization energy increases as one goes from left to right within a period because increased nuclear charge without added energy levels attracts electrons more, making them harder to remove.

What is ionization energy?

The amount of energy needed to remove an electron from an atom. The easier it is to remove electrons, the lower the ionization energy will be.

What happens to atomic radius as you go from left to right within a period on the periodic table? Why?

The radius decreases as one moves from left to right within a period because the number of protons increases and the number of energy levels stays the same. This attracts electrons more strongly and pulls them in.

What happens to atomic radius as you go from top to bottom within a group on the periodic table? Why?

The radius increases as one moves from top to bottom within a group because energy levels are added and this makes the atom bigger.