Compare the radii of two species X and Y. Give reasons for your answer.
(a) X has 12 protons and 12 electrons
(b) Y has 12 protons and 10 electrons
Radii of Y is less than X.
Here, X has 12 electrons and 12 protons, therefore it is a neutral atom. Y contains 12 protons and 10 electrons so there are 2 more protons that gives Y a charge of +2. The electronic configurations of the two species is as follows:
X | Y |
K L M | K L |
2 8 2 | 2 8 |
The atomic size of a positive ion (cation) is always smaller than a neutral atom. This is because cation has less number of electrons and hence more nuclear attractions on electrons in cation. Thus the size of a cation is smaller than that of the neutral atom. Hence, atomic radius of Y is smaller than that of X.
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