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5.periodicity - Answers

Periodicity refers to the regularly repeating pattern of properties that occurs when moving from one element to the next in the periodic table. Atomic radius decreases across each period due to the increasing nuclear charge drawing electrons closer despite increasing electron-electron repulsion. First ionization energy generally increases as more energy is required to remove an electron as it experiences greater nuclear attraction and shielding from inner electrons. Exceptions occur for elements with electrons in p orbitals or paired electrons due to differences in orbital energies and electron-electron repulsion.

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222 views7 pages

5.periodicity - Answers

Periodicity refers to the regularly repeating pattern of properties that occurs when moving from one element to the next in the periodic table. Atomic radius decreases across each period due to the increasing nuclear charge drawing electrons closer despite increasing electron-electron repulsion. First ionization energy generally increases as more energy is required to remove an electron as it experiences greater nuclear attraction and shielding from inner electrons. Exceptions occur for elements with electrons in p orbitals or paired electrons due to differences in orbital energies and electron-electron repulsion.

Uploaded by

Anshu Movva
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Periodicity

Periodicity is a regularly repeating pattern of atomic, physical and


chemical properties with increasing atomic number.

 Period

The elements in a period exhibit periodicity.


We can best illustrate periodicity by looking at the elements in Periods 2 and 3.

 Atomic radii
The atomic radius of an element is a measure of the size of its atoms. It is the distance from the
centre of the nucleus to the boundary of the electron cloud.

Since the atom does not have a well-defined boundary, we can find the atomic radius by
determining the distance between the two nuclei and dividing it by two.

The diagram on the left shows two bonded atoms. The atoms are closer together than they are
in the right-hand diagram (where they are just touching). On the left-hand side of the diagram,
we are measuring the covalent radius.

The radius being measured in the diagram on the right is called the van der Waals radius. This
is the only radius that can be determined for neon and argon, because they do not bond with
other elements.

There is a third radius that is used for metals. It is called the metallic radius (half the distance
between the inter-nuclear distance of ions).

The diagram below shows the trend in covalent radii across the second period (lithium to
fluorine, or Li to F) and third period (sodium to chlorine, or Na to Cl).
The radius decreases across each period.
 This is because as the number of protons in the nucleus increases, so does the nuclear
charge.
 This results in an increase in the attractive force between the nucleus and the outer
electrons.
 This increase in attractive force offsets the increase in electron–electron repulsion as
the number of electrons in the outer quantum shell increases.
 Melting and boiling temperatures
The tables below illustrate the changes in melting and boiling temperatures for the Period 2
and 3 elements.

Elements with giant lattice structures have high melting and boiling temperatures, and those
with simple molecular structures have low melting and boiling temperatures.

Metallic bond strength


The increase in metallic bond strength from sodium to aluminium is due to two factors:

1. Charge density. This is the ratio of an ion’s charge to its size. Na+ ions are large
with a small charge, so have a low charge density. Al3+ ions are smaller with a
larger charge, and so have a higher charge density. They are therefore more
strongly attracted to the delocalized electrons.
2. 2. Number of free electrons. Sodium has one free electron per metal ion,
whereas aluminium has three. This leads to more attractions that must be
broken in aluminium.
 First ionisation energies
The diagram below is a plot of first ionisation energy for the first three Periods.

Hydrogen and helium


The electronic configurations of hydrogen and helium are 1s1 and 1s2, respectively.
 The increase in first ionisation energy from hydrogen to helium by the increase in
nuclear charge from 1 to 2 as an extra proton is added.
 This increase in nuclear charge more than offsets the increase in electron–electron
repulsion in the 1s orbital as a second electron is added.

Anomalies
The first ionisation of the Group 3 element is less than that of the Group 2 element, and the
first ionisation energy of the Group 6 element is less than that of the Group 5 element.

Beryllium and boron


Consider the case of beryllium (Be) and boron (B).
The electronic configurations are:
Be: 1s2 2s2
B: 1s2 2s2 2p1
 Although the nuclear charge of the boron atom is greater than that of the beryllium
atom, the outer electron has more energy, since it is in a 2p orbital as opposed to the 2s
orbital for beryllium.
 So the energy required to remove this electron is less than that required to remove a 2s
electron from a beryllium atom.
 In addition, the 2p electron in boron experiences greater electron–electron repulsion
(i.e. greater shielding) because there are two inner electron sub-shells as opposed to
only one in the beryllium atom.

A similar argument applies to magnesium and aluminium (Mg and Al), except that in this case it
is the 3s and 3p electrons that are involved.
Nitrogen and oxygen
Now consider nitrogen (N) and oxygen (O).
The electronic configurations are:
N: 1s2 2s2 2px12py12pz1
O: 1s2 2s2 2px22py12pz1

 The first electron removed is one of the two paired electrons in the 2px
orbital.
 The presence of two electrons in a single orbital increases the electron–electron
repulsion in this orbital.
 Less energy is therefore required to remove one of these electrons than is required to
remove a 2p electron from a nitrogen atom, despite the larger nuclear charge of the
oxygen atom.

(a) A giant lattice structure.


(b) Whether it conducts electricity when solid. If it does, then it is likely to be metallic.

The helium atom has a higher nuclear charge. This offsets the increase in repulsion that occurs
between the two electrons when a second electron is added to the 1s orbital.

The outer electron of a lithium atom is in a different quantum shell (the second) of much higher
energy.

Lower. The outer electron of the gallium atom is in a 4p orbital, so the orbital energy of this
electron is greater than that of the outer electron of a calcium atom, which is in a 4s orbital.
The neon atom has the highest nuclear charge of all the atoms of the elements in Period 2.
The amount of shielding the outer electron experiences is similar to that for the other elements of
Period 2.
The orbital energy of the outer electron is therefore lower than that of any other element in
Period 2.
(You could also score the last point for stating that the neon atom is the smallest, so the outer
electron is closest to the nucleus and therefore most strongly attracted to it.)

6.

(a) State what is meant by the term periodicity. [1]

A repeating pattern in property across a period of the Periodic Table (1).

(b) Explain the genera l trend in first ionisation energy of the elements Na to Ar in Period 3 of
the Periodic Table. [3]

There is an increase in nuclear charge across the period (1).


Electrons are added to the same quantum shell so the increase in shielding is minimal (1)
The increase in nuclear charge is more significant than the increase in shielding, so the energy of
the outer electrons decreases (1).

(c) Explain the trend in atomic radii of the elements sodium to chlorine in Period 3 of the
Periodic Table. [4]
The atomic radii decreases across Period 3 (1) as the number of protons in the nucleus increases
so does the nuclear charge (1).
This results in an increase in the attractive force between the nucleus and the outer electrons.
This increase in attractive force offsets the increase in electron-electron repulsion (1) as the
number of electrons in the outer quantum shell increases (1).

(d) The table shows the melting temperatures of the elements sodium to chlorine in Period 3 of
the Periodic Table.

(e) Complete the table using the following guidelines.

(i) Complete the ‘bonding’ row using only the words metallic or covalent.
(ii) Complete the ‘structure’ row using only the words simple molecular or giant lattice.
(iii) Explain why the melting temperature of phosphorus is different from that of silicon.
[5]
[Total: 13]

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