The Octet Rule

Our discussion of valence electron configurations leads us to one of the cardinal tenets of chemical bonding,
the octet rule. The octet rule states that atoms become especially stable when their valence shells gain a full
complement of valence electrons. For example, in above, Argon (Ar) and Neon (Ne) have outer valence shells
that are completely filled, so neither has a tendency to gain or lose electrons. (Helium is the only exception to
the octet rule, because there are no p orbitals in the first shell, the shell is full when it has a full s orbital or 2
valence electrons.) Therefore, Helium , Neon and Argon, three of the so-called Noble gases, exist in free
atomic form and do not usually form chemical bonds with other atoms.
Most elements, however, do not have a full outer shell and are too unstable to exist as free atoms. Instead they
seek to fill their outer electron shells by forming chemical bonds with other atoms and thereby attain Noble Gas
configuration. An element will tend to take the shortest path to achieving Noble Gas configuration, whether that
means gaining or losing electrons. For example, sodium (Na), which has a single electron in its outer 3s
orbital, can lose that electron to attain the electron configuration of neon. Chlorine, with seven valence
electrons, can gain one electron to attain the configuration of argon. When two different elements have the
same electron configuration, they are called isoelectronic.

Diamagnetism and Paramagnetism

The electron configuration of an atom also has consequences on its behavior in relation to magnetic fields.
Such behavior is dependent on the number of electrons an atom has that are spin paired. Remember that
Hund's Rule and the Pauli Exclusion Principle combine to dictate that an atom's orbitals will all half-fill before a
second electron is added to the same orbital, and that when they completely fill with two electrons, those two
electrons will have opposite spins.
An atom with all of its orbitals filled, and therefore all of its electrons paired with an electron of opposite spin,
will be very little affected by magnetic fields. Such atoms are called diamagnetic. Conversely, paramagnetic
atoms do not have all of their electrons spin-paired and are affected by magnetic fields. There are degrees of
paramagnetism, since an atom might have one unpaired electron, or it might have four or more

What other factor is explain by the presence of unpaired electrons found in the
transitional element?
As seen in the previous section on the octet rule, atoms tend to lose or gain electrons in order to attain a full
valence shell and the stability a full valence shell imparts. Because electrons are negatively charged, an atom
becomes positively or negatively charged as it loses or gains an electron, respectively. Any atom or group of
atoms with a net charge (whether positive or negative) is called an ion. A positively charged ion is a cation
while a negatively charged ion is an anion.
Now we are ready to discuss the periodic trends of atomic size, ionization energy, electron affinity, and
electronnegativity.

Atomic Size (Atomic Radius)

The atomic size of an atom, also called the atomic radius, refers to the distance between an atom's nucleus
and its valence electrons. Remember, the closer an electron is to the nucleus, the lower its energy and the
more tightly it is held. Bonded atoms have smaller radii than nonbonded atoms. But the trend is still the same.
Moving Across a Period
Moving from left to right across a period, the atomic radius decreases. The nucleus of the atom gains protons
moving from left to right, increasing the positive charge of the nucleus and increasing the attractive force of the
nucleus upon the electrons. True, electrons are also added as the elements move from left to right across a
period, but these electrons reside in the same energy shell and do not offer increased shielding.
Moving Down a Group
The atomic radius increases moving down a group. Once again protons are added moving down a group, but
so are new energy shells of electrons. The new energy shells provide shielding, allowing the valence electrons
to experience only a minimal amount of the protons' positive charge.
Cations and Anions
Cations and anions do not actually represent a periodic trend in terms of atomic radius, but they do affect
atomic radius, and so we will discuss them here.
When elements become cations (+) the lose the outer electrons. By removing a shell, the radii of the atom
becomes smaller.

Anions, conversely, are negatively charged ions: atoms that have gained electrons. In anions, electron-electron
repulsion increases and the positive charge is not strong enough to keep the electrons contained in the same
spatial area.. Anions have a greater atomic radius than the neutral atom from which they derive.

Ionization Energy and Electron Affinity

The process of gaining or losing an electron requires energy. There are two common ways to measure this
energy change: ionization energy and electron affinity.
Ionization Energy
The ionization energy is the energy it takes to fully remove an electron from the atom. When several electrons
are removed from an atom, the energy that it takes to remove the first electron is called the first ionization
energy, the energy it takes to remove the second electron is the second ionization energy, and so on. In
general, the second ionization energy is greater than first ionization energy. This is because the first electron
removed feels the effect of shielding by the second electron and is therefore less strongly attracted to the
nucleus. If a particular ionization energy follows a previous electron loss that emptied a subshell, the next
ionization energy will take a rather large leap, rather than follow its normal gently increasing trend. This fact
helps to show that just as electrons are more stable when they have a full valence shell, they are also relatively
more stable when they at least have a full subshell.
Ionization Energy Across a Period
Ionization energy predictably increases moving across the periodic table from left to right. Just as we described
in the case of atomic size, moving from left to right, the number of protons increases. The electrons also
increase in number, but without adding new shells or shielding. From left to right, the electrons therefore
become more tightly held meaning it takes more energy to pry them loose. This fact gives a physical basis to
the octet rule, which states that elements with few valence electrons (those on the left of the periodic table)
readily give those electrons up in order to attain a full octet within their inner shells, while those with many
valence electrons tend to gain electrons. The electrons on the left tend to lose electrons since their ionization
energy is so low (it takes such little energy to remove an electron) while those on the right tend to gain
electrons since their nucleus has a powerful positive force and their ionization energy is high. Note that
ionization energy does show a sensitivity to the filling of subshells; in moving from group 12 to group 13 for

example, after the d shell has been filled, ionization energy actually drops. In general, though, the trend is of
increasing ionziation energy from left to right.
Ionization Energy Down a Group
Ionization energy decreases moving down a group for the same reason atomic size increases: electrons add
new shells creating extra shielding that supersedes the addition of protons. The atomic radius increases, as
does the energy of the valence electrons. This means it takes less energy to remove an electron, which is what
ionization energy measures.
Two dips in IE occur as you cross from and s orbital to the next p (Be to B, Mg to Al) and again from a filled p
to the next electron (N to O, or P to S etc)

Electron Affinity
An atom's electron affinity is the energy change in an atom when that atom gains an electron. The sign of the
electron affinity can be confusing. When an atom gains an electron and becomes more stable, its potential
energy decreases: upon gaining an electron the atom gives off energy and the electron affinity is negative.
(Delta H = exothermic) When an atom becomes less stable upon gaining an electron, its potential energy
increases, which implies that the atom gains energy as it acquires the electron. In such a case, the atom's
electron affinity is positive. An atom with a negative electron affinity is far more likely to gain electrons.
Electron Affinities Across a Period
Electron affinities becoming increasingly negative from left to right. Just as in ionization energy, this trend
conforms to and helps explain the octet rule. The octet rule states that atoms with close to full valence shells
will tend to gain electrons. Such atoms are located on the right of the periodic table and have very negative
electron affinities, meaning they give off a great deal of energy upon gaining an electron and become more
stable. Be careful, though: the nobel gases, located in the extreme right hand column of the periodic table do
not conform to this trend. Noble gases have full valence shells, are very stable, and do not want to add more
electrons: noble gas electron affinities are positive. Similarly, atoms with full subshells also have more positive
electron affinities (are less attractive of electrons) than the elements around them. \

Electron Affinities Down a Group

Electron affinities change little moving down a group, though they do generally become slightly more positive
(less attractive toward electrons). The biggest exception to this rule are the third period elements, which often
have more negative electron affinities than the corresponding elements in the second period. For this reason,
Chlorine, Cl, (group VIIa and period 3) has the most negative electron affinity.

Electronegativity
Electronegativity refers to the ability of an atom to attract the electrons of another atom to it when those two
atoms are associated through a bond. Electronegativity is based on an atom's ionization energy and electron
affinity. For that reason, electronegativity follows similar trends as its two constituent measures.
Electronegativity generally increases moving across a period and decreases moving down a group. Flourine
(F), in group VIIA and period 2, is the most powerfully electronegative of the elements. Electronegativity plays a
very large role in the processes of Chemical Bonding.
alence Electrons