Electron Affinity: Frequently Asked Questions
What is Electron Affinity?
Electron affinity is the energy change when an atom gains an electron to form a negative ion. It indicates an atom’s tendency to accept electrons.
What are Trends in Electron Affinity?
Electron affinity generally increases from left to right across a period and decreases down a group on the periodic table.
How does Atomic Size Affect Electron Affinity?
Smaller atoms tend to have higher electron affinity because electrons are closer to the nucleus, leading to stronger attraction for incoming electrons.
Whose Electron has Largest Electron Affinity?
Chlorine has the largest Electron Affinity among all the known elements.
Is Electron Affinity Positive or Negative?
Electron Affinity is typically negative, indicating the energy released when an electron is added to an atom.
Why does Electron Affinity Increase Across a Period?
Electron Affinity increases across a period because the effective nuclear charge rises, pulling electrons closer.
What is Electron Affinity Down the Group?
Electron Affinity decreases down the group due to increased atomic size, reducing the attractive force on electrons.
Who Discovered Concept of Electron Affinity?
Linus Carl Pauling discovered the concept of electron affinity in 1901.
Electron Affinity
Electron Affinity is a measure of the attraction between an incoming electron and the nucleus of an atom or molecule. It is defined as the change in energy (in kJ/mole) of a neutral atom (in the gaseous phase) when an electron is added to the atom.
In this article, we will look into what electron affinity is, its periodic trends, the factors affecting electron affinity, and the values of electron affinity of different elements.
Table of Content
- What is Electron Affinity?
- Trends in Electron Affinity
- Types of Electron Affinity
- Factors Affecting Electron Affinity
- Electron Affinity Vs Ionization Energy