Ionization energy Transitional Reasoning Download PDF

Questions

1. 1.

   A researcher measures the first four ionization energies of three consecutive second-period elements, X, Y, and Z: Element X requires 899, 1757, 14848, and 21006 kJ/mol; Element Y requires 801, 2427, 3660, and 25026 kJ/mol; and Element Z requires 1086, 2353, 4620, and 6223 kJ/mol. Considering the significant energy jumps associated with removing inner-shell core electrons, which statement correctly explains the observed properties of these elements?

   • A) Element X has only one valence electron because its second ionization energy is roughly double its first ionization energy.
   • B) Element X has a higher first ionization energy than Element Y because removing an electron from a filled 2s subshell requires more energy than removing a single 2p electron.
   • C) Element Y has a smaller atomic radius than Element Z because ionization energy increases monotonically across Period 2 without exceptions.
   • D) Element Z possesses five valence electrons because an inner core electron is removed during its fourth ionization step.