What is the trend in first ionisation energy across a period?

Overall, the general trend is an increase across the period.

The decrease in shielding (as outer electrons are less influenced by the nucleus) is outweighed by an increased nuclear charge and a decreased atomic radius.

However, the value actually decreases between group 2 and 3. This is a result of the electronic configurations of these elements. The outermost electron in Be (in a 2s orbital) is less easily removed than that of B (in a 2p orbital). The same occurs from group 5 and 6.

BW

Related Chemistry GCSE answers

All answers ▸

What does Avogadro's number mean?


describe the electrostatic force between water molecules


Explain the molecular structure of CH4 (methane)


How to calculate the number of protons, neutrons and electrons in an atom of chlorine?