Explain why Magnesium has a greater second ionisation energy than strontium

Magnesium is a smaller atom with a smaller radius than strontium, this means the electron has a greater attraction to the nucleus. Also as strontium has more orbitals the electron has more shielding from the nucleus from the lower orbitals.

KW
Answered by Kelvin W. Chemistry tutor

15429 Views

See similar Chemistry A Level tutors

Related Chemistry A Level answers

All answers ▸

What chemical tests are appropriate to identify Butanoic acid, Propanal and 2-methyl propan-2-ol?


Why does ionisation energy of elements generally decrease as you move down a group in the periodic table?


Why does boiling point decrease down group 1 in the periodic table? [3 marks]


Why is benzene more stable than expected?


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