Question

Which one of the following depicts the correct representation of the atomic radius(r) of an atom?

• A.
• B.
• C.
• D.

Answer 1

Answer: (B), (C)

Explanation for correct option

(B) and (C)

Trend of atomic radius in the Periodic Table

• In general, the atomic radius reduces from left to right in a period, and from top to bottom in a group, it increases.
• In some exceptional cases, such as the oxygen radius is slightly bigger than the nitrogen radius.

Atomic radius

• The atomic radius of a molecule is equal to half the distance between adjacent atoms of the same element.
• As electrons are added to the same principal energy level, protons are added to the nucleus.
• In (B) and (C), the atomic radii are accurately shown as the distance between the nucleus and the valence electron shell.

Explanation for incorrect options

• Figures (B) and (C) are the correct representation of the atomic radius(r) of an atom
• Hence all other options (A) and (D) are incorrect.

Therefore, the correct option are (B) and (C).