S1.3 Electron configurations HL

Question 1

Successive ionisation energies

Answer 1

The energies required to remove more and more electrons from an ion that is becoming increasing positive.

Question 2

Describe the general trend in first ionisation energy (IE) across a period.

Answer 2

IE generally increases across a period due to the increasing nuclear charge, which pulls electrons closer, making them harder to remove.

Question 3

How does first ionisation energy (IE) change down a group?

Answer 3

IE decreases down a group because electrons are further from the nucleus, in higher energy levels, and shielded by inner electrons, making them easier to remove.

Question 4

What causes discontinuities in first ionisation energy (IE) trends?

Answer 4

Discontinuities are caused by changes in electron configuration, such as moving from s to p orbitals or encountering half-filled vs. fully filled p orbitals, affecting electron removal ease.

Question 5

How do you calculate the first IE from the wavelength or frequency of the convergence limit?

Answer 5

Use E=hf for frequency or E=hc/λ for wavelength, convert energy from J to kJ, and multiply by Avogadro’s number to get IE in kJ/mol.

Question 6

What does successive ionisation refer to in chemistry?

Answer 6

Successive ionisation refers to the process of removing electrons one at a time from an atom, with each step requiring more energy due to the atom’s increasing positive charge.

Question 7

How can you deduce the group of an element from its successive ionisation energies?

Answer 7

By identifying significant jumps in ionisation energy, which indicate the removal of an electron from a more tightly bound shell. A large increase after removing a specific number of electrons suggests the element’s group in the periodic table.

Question 8

What does a large increase in ionisation energy after removing three electrons suggest about an element?

Answer 8

It suggests that the element belongs to Group 13, as it has three valence electrons.