Which of the following ions has the smallest ionic radius?
Practice Questions
1 question
Q1
Which of the following ions has the smallest ionic radius?
Na+
Mg2+
Al3+
Si4+
Si4+ has the smallest ionic radius due to its high positive charge, which pulls the electrons closer.
Questions & Step-by-step Solutions
1 item
Q
Q: Which of the following ions has the smallest ionic radius?
Solution: Si4+ has the smallest ionic radius due to its high positive charge, which pulls the electrons closer.
Steps: 7
Step 1: Understand what ionic radius means. Ionic radius is the size of an ion, which can be affected by its charge.
Step 2: Recognize that ions can be positively charged (cations) or negatively charged (anions). Cations are usually smaller than their neutral atoms because they lose electrons.
Step 3: Identify the ions in the question. In this case, we are comparing different ions, including Si4+.
Step 4: Note that Si4+ has a high positive charge (+4). This means it has lost four electrons.
Step 5: Understand that losing electrons causes the remaining electrons to be pulled closer to the nucleus, making the ion smaller.
Step 6: Compare Si4+ with other ions. Generally, the more positive the charge, the smaller the ionic radius.
Step 7: Conclude that Si4+ has the smallest ionic radius among the ions being compared.
