Multiple Choice
Which of the following is true concerning successive ionizations of an atom and its ions?
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10. Periodic Properties of the Elements
Periodic Trend: Successive Ionization Energies
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Which of the following best describes the trend observed when plotting the first six ionization energies of aluminum (Al) on a graph?
A
The ionization energies remain nearly constant for all six electrons.
B
The ionization energies increase gradually, with a large jump after the third ionization energy.
C
The ionization energies decrease steadily as more electrons are removed.
D
The ionization energies increase gradually, with a large jump after the sixth ionization energy.
Verified step by step guidance1
Recall that ionization energy is the energy required to remove an electron from an atom or ion in the gaseous state.
Understand that for aluminum (Al), which has an atomic number of 13, the first three electrons removed come from the outermost shell (the 3s and 3p orbitals), which are valence electrons.
Recognize that removing valence electrons requires less energy compared to removing core electrons, which are closer to the nucleus and more tightly bound.
Therefore, when plotting the first six ionization energies of aluminum, expect a gradual increase for the first three ionizations as each electron is removed from the valence shell, followed by a large jump in ionization energy after the third electron, indicating the removal of a core electron.
This pattern reflects the increased difficulty in removing electrons from a stable, filled inner shell compared to the valence shell.
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