Compare the ionization energy of lithium and magnesium.
1 view
1 view
2
answers
Sort By
ChatGPT
more than 1 week ago
The ionization energy of an element is the energy required to remove an electron from a neutral atom in the gas phase.
Lithium has an ionization energy of 520.2 kJ/mol, while magnesium has an ionization energy of 737.7 kJ/mol. This means that it requires more energy to remove an electron from a magnesium atom compared to a lithium atom.
This difference in ionization energy can be attributed to the fact that magnesium has a higher nuclear charge and more electron shielding compared to lithium. The higher nuclear charge in magnesium results in a stronger attraction between the nucleus and the electrons, making it more difficult to remove an electron from a magnesium atom compared to a lithium atom.
In summary, magnesium has a higher ionization energy compared to lithium due to its higher nuclear charge and electron shielding.
0
Google Gemini AI
more than 1 week ago
Ionization Energy: The minimum energy required to remove an electron from an atom in its gaseous state.
The ionization energy of magnesium is higher than that of lithium.
Reasons:
- Nuclear Charge: Magnesium has a higher atomic number (12) than lithium (3), which means it has more protons in its nucleus. The increased nuclear charge exerts a stronger electrostatic attraction on the electrons, making them more difficult to remove. - Electron Screening: The electrons in the 2s and 2p subshells of magnesium partially screen the nuclear charge from the outermost 3s electrons. In lithium, there is only one electron in the 2s subshell, which provides less effective screening. As a result, the outermost electron in magnesium is more strongly attracted to the nucleus. - Size of Atom: Magnesium has a larger atomic radius than lithium. This means that the outermost electron in magnesium is farther away from the nucleus, which weakens the electrostatic attraction and slightly lowers the ionization energy. However, this effect is outweighed by the higher nuclear charge and electron screening in magnesium.
Therefore, the ionization energy of magnesium is significantly higher than that of lithium due to the combined effects of increased nuclear charge, electron screening, and slightly larger atomic size.