2 Matching Annotations
- Oct 2020
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chem.libretexts.org chem.libretexts.org
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Electron shielding describes the ability of an atom's inner electrons to shield its positively-charged nucleus from its valence electrons
Basically think of a cloth as you put more energy levels between the nucleus and the furthest valence electron the shielding increases as you have more electrons and the elements who don't have as much electrons have less shielding.
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Ionization energy is the energy required to remove an electron from a neutral atom in its gaseous phase. Conceptually, ionization energy is the opposite of electronegativity. The lower this energy is, the more readily the atom becomes a cation. Therefore, the higher this energy is, the more unlikely it is the atom becomes a cation. Generally, elements on the right side of the periodic table have a higher ionization energy because their valence shell is nearly filled. Elements on the left side of the periodic table have low ionization energies because of their willingness to lose electrons and become cations. Thus, ionization energy increases from left to right on the periodic table.
Ionization energy increases as you go from left to right because the elements who want to lose their electrons takes less energy and the element who have a nearly full valence shell takes more energy to remove an electron.
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