What is the trend in first ionisation energy across a period?

Overall, the general trend is an increase across the period.

The decrease in shielding (as outer electrons are less influenced by the nucleus) is outweighed by an increased nuclear charge and a decreased atomic radius.

However, the value actually decreases between group 2 and 3. This is a result of the electronic configurations of these elements. The outermost electron in Be (in a 2s orbital) is less easily removed than that of B (in a 2p orbital). The same occurs from group 5 and 6.

BW
Answered by Ben W. Chemistry tutor

13219 Views

See similar Chemistry GCSE tutors

Related Chemistry GCSE answers

All answers ▸

NaOH + HCl --> ____ + ___


What is the atomic number of an atom and How many electrons are there in an atom of Nitrogen when it has an atomic number of 7?


Zinc reacts with sulphuric acid (Zn + H2SO4 --> ZnSO4 + H2). Write out two separate equations for the species that are oxidised and reduced.


Diamond is very hard because:


We're here to help

contact us iconContact ustelephone icon+44 (0) 203 773 6020
Facebook logoInstagram logoLinkedIn logo

MyTutor is part of the IXL family of brands:

© 2026 by IXL Learning