Explain why the first ionisation energy of Al is less than that of Mg?
The outer electron on aluminium is removed from the 3p sub-level, whereas the outer electron on magnesium is removed from the 3s sub-level.The 3p sub-level is higher in energy than the 3s sub-level.Aluminium's outer electron is further away from the nucleus and less attracted to the nucleus.This means less energy is needed to remove the electron from aluminium.
Related Chemistry A Level answers
All answers ▸How many moles of carbon dioxide is produced when 73.6 g of ethanol is burned completely in oxygen?
A compound, HOCH2CH2CH2CH2COCl, reacts with itself to give a new compound. Give the IUPAC name for the starting compound, draw the mechanism for the formation of the new compound and give the prominant feature of the IR spectrum of the new compound.
How can you convert benzene to N-phenylethanamide in 3 steps?
How does the oxidising power of the group 1 metals vary?