What is the ionization energy trend in the periodic table?
Practice Questions
Q1
What is the ionization energy trend in the periodic table?
Increases down a group
Decreases across a period
Increases across a period
Decreases down a group
Questions & Step-by-Step Solutions
What is the ionization energy trend in the periodic table?
Step 1: Understand what ionization energy is. It is the energy required to remove an electron from an atom.
Step 2: Look at the periodic table. It is organized in rows (periods) and columns (groups).
Step 3: Notice that as you move from left to right across a period, the number of protons in the nucleus increases. This is called increasing nuclear charge.
Step 4: Realize that with more protons, the attraction between the nucleus and the electrons becomes stronger.
Step 5: Because of this stronger attraction, it takes more energy to remove an electron, which means ionization energy increases.
Step 6: Also, remember that as you move down a group, ionization energy generally decreases because the outer electrons are farther from the nucleus and are less tightly held.
