Which element has the highest ionization potential and which has the lowest ionization potential?
The correct option is C He, Cs
Group-1 | Group-18 |
Period-1 H | He |
Period-2 Li | |
Period-3 | Ar |
Period-6 Cs |
The amount of energy required to remove an electron from an isolated atom or molecule is called ionization potential.
Ionization Energies increases going left to right across a period and decreases going down the group. Down the group, the ionization energy decreases, because the number of inner shells increases, therefore, the shielding effect also increases in the group. Hence, the nucleus will be farther from the outermost electron, it will be easy to remove the valence electrons. Therefore, it requires less energy to remove an electron.
As we move across the periodic table from left to right, the ionization energy increases, due to the effective nuclear charge increasing. This is because the larger the effective nuclear charge, the stronger the nucleus is holding onto the electron and the more energy it takes to release an electron.
Hence He has high ionization potential and Cs has low ionization potential.