Periodic Table Trends (Atomic Properties)
Paolo Lanni
Questions
1. According to the graph, the atomic radius increases as we go down a group (family) and decrease going across a period. As the atomic number increases more electrons are added to the outermost shell the radius of the shell begins to get smaller or contract. The reason for the graphs steepness at certain points is because those points are noble gases which already have a full outer orbit, this increases the atomic mass which shows on the graph.
2. As I stated in #1, the atomic radius decreases as the trend moves across the periodic table. I predict Nitrogen (N) to have a smaller atomic radius than Carbon (C) because of the increase in electrons that causes more interaction between the electrons and the nucleus.
3. The atomic radius increases going down the periodic table which means for the series (N,P) the elements below it will have a significant increase in atomic radius because of the addition of a full outer orbit of electrons. I predict Arsenic (As) to have an atomic radius of about 143 (pm). The actual atomic radius for Arsenic is 114 (pm). My prediction was a little off because it is very difficult to determine the exact atomic radius for certain elements.
4. According to the graph it seems like the IE decreases going down the periodic table and increases going from left to right on the graph. Each period has its elements increases in IE going across, but the IE is still smaller than the period above it. Since the IE decreases down, this states that the IE increases up the periodic table.
5. The electron affinity seems to different and have different losses and gains for each group or family in the periodic table. Group 17 (Halogens) seem to have the lowest electron affinity and group 2 (Alkali earth metals) seem to have the highest. Also, elements in the same family seem to have virtually the same electron affinity. It seems that the electron affinity increases up and across the periodic table.
6. Electronegativity seems to increase across the periodic table. Noble gases have a stable outer orbit which means that they don’t need any electrons to stabilize them, this is why they have no electronegativity. After the noble gas has passed, the trend starts from the bottom and works its way up again.
7. Elements with low ionization energy will have a greater reactivity. The easier it is for an element to give away its electrons, the more reactive that element is with others. Low IE elements can't hold onto their electrons when combined with another. This creates huge reactions. Elements with high IE, means they can hold onto their electrons more effectively thus making this element less reactive than that of a low IE element.
8. As the electron affinity goes up so does the reactivity. The greater the power to gain electrons, the greater the reactivity is for that element. This tells me that these element have the capability
