Coulomb's law and periodic trends Original Scenario-Based Practice

Questions

1. 1.

   An orbital exploration vessel harvesting neutral gaseous atoms from the atmosphere of a rocky exoplanet analyzes three consecutive Period 3 elements, designated in order of increasing atomic number as X, Y, and Z. The ship's science officer models the extraction of a valence electron from each atom using Coulomb's law, $F \propto \frac{q_1 q_2}{r^2}$, to calibrate the ion scoop. Which statement correctly evaluates how the net Coulombic force of attraction on an outermost electron and the first ionization energy change from element X to element Z?

   • A) The attractive Coulombic force decreases because each added electron occupies a new, more distant principal energy level, causing the first ionization energy to decrease.
   • B) The attractive Coulombic force increases because the effective nuclear charge increases while the valence distance contracts, causing the first ionization energy to generally increase.
   • C) The attractive Coulombic force remains constant because the increase in nuclear protons is completely balanced by identical shielding from the added valence electrons, keeping the ionization energy unchanged.
   • D) The attractive Coulombic force decreases because electron-electron repulsion within the valence shell overpowers the nuclear pull, steadily lowering the required ionization energy.

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