Electronegativity and Ionization Energy Trends
Learning Objective
I can explain how electronegativity and ionization energy change across periods and groups in the periodic table.
Key Concepts
Coulomb's law states that the magnitude of the force between two charged particles is proportional to the charge on each particle and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between them.
Effective nuclear charge (Zeff) is the net positive charge experienced by valence electrons in an atom and can be approximated by subtracting the number of core electrons from the atomic number.
Ionization energy generally increases across a period (from left to right) and decreases down a group, while atomic radius generally decreases across a period and increases down a group.
Practice Questions
This lesson includes 6 practice questions to reinforce learning.
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1. According to Coulomb's Law, what two factors most influence the force between charged particles?
2. How is effective nuclear charge (Zeff) calculated, and what does it represent?
3. Which of the following statements accurately describes the trend in atomic radius across a period (from left to right) on the periodic table?
...and 3 more questions
Educational Video
Periodic trends and Coulomb's law | Atomic structure and properties | AP Chemistry | Khan Academy
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