Kaplan Nursing Entrance Exam Practice 2025 – Comprehensive Prep

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What happens to ionization energy as atomic radius decreases across a period?

It decreases

It remains the same

It increases

As atomic radius decreases across a period from left to right on the periodic table, ionization energy tends to increase. This trend occurs due to the increased effective nuclear charge experienced by the outermost electrons. As you move across a period, protons are added to the nucleus without a corresponding increase in shielding from inner electron shells, which means that the attraction between the nucleus and the outer electrons becomes stronger.

As a result, the electrons are held more tightly, and it requires more energy to remove an electron from the atom. Therefore, the increase in effective nuclear charge as atomic radius decreases leads to higher ionization energy across a period. This understanding reflects why the correct answer is that ionization energy increases as atomic radius decreases.

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It fluctuates

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