Amanda Lodge December 14, 2012 Trends in Graphs: Chemical Periodicity

Atomic Number vs. Atomic Radius of Elements

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Atomic Number

The above graph is displaying the correlation between the atomic number of elements and their atomic radius. The atomic number of an element is the number of protons in the element, and this number is unique to all elements. The atomic radius of an element is one-half the distance between the nuclei in a molecule consisting of identical atoms, and this number follows a specific trend across the periodic table. By looking at this graph, its obvious that there are trends within each group and period of the periodic table in regard to the atomic radius of the elements. The atomic radius of an element is measured in nanometers, and based off of the above graph, it generally increases down a group and decreases across a period. The numbered sections on the graph represent the periods that the elements are found in, and since the coordinates for the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th periods create a trend line with a negative slope, the atomic radius is decreasing across the periods. This happens because electrons are being added within the same energy level of the atom, causing it to shrink. Its the first period containing the elements hydrogen and heliumthose whose atomic numbers are 1 and 2, respectivelythat is the exception to this rule. These two points create a trend line with a positive slope, so their atomic radius increases moving from one to the next. When moving down a group, however, there are electrons added to different energy levels so the atomic size is continuously increasing. These trends are important to establish since they make up the periodic table itself, and dictate the elements within it.

Amanda Lodge December 14, 2012

Atomic Number vs. Ionization Energy of Elements

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The above graph is displaying the correlation between the atomic number of elements and their ionization energy. The atomic number of an element is the number of protons in the element, and this number is unique to all elements. The ionization energy of an element is the energy required to remove the most loosely held electrons that are farthest from the nucleus, measuring how easily an electron can be taken from an atom. Through utilizing this graph, there are trends that can be found between the atomic radius of an element located within certain groups or periods. The ionization energy of an element is measured in kJ/mol, and from the graph above, it can be concluded that it will generally decrease moving down a group and increase moving across a period. All four of the graphed periods show that, from the beginning of the period to the end of the period, the ionization energy has increased even though the trend line doesnt always have a positive slope. This trend is caused by the nuclear charge increasing and the shielding effect remaining constant across a period. Still, the difference between the ionization energy of the first and last elements in a period is positive when looking at the graph, so the ionization energy is definitely increasing. Then, while moving down a group, the ionization energy of the elements decreases because the distance from the nucleus to the outermost electrons increases as the atomic radius increases so there is less pull on the outer electrons from the nucleus. Trends like this one that occur while moving down groups or across periods signify relevant changes in the elements throughout the periodic table, and theyre able to predict the general behavior of elements, proving that trends are useful and helpful in their own ways.