Ionization Energy and Electron Affinity

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How are ionization energy and electron affinity related?

[Ronan Ereneta 3D]

Ionization relates to taking away an electron from an atom to form a cation, while electron affinity describes adding an electron to form an anion.

[Azlyn Hernandez 2E]

You'll notice that Ionization energy and electron affinity both exhibit similar periodic trends and that's they are related to the interaction between electrons and the nucleus in atoms. Both ionization energy and electron affinity are influenced by the electrostatic attraction between electrons and the nucleus. The trends in these properties are a result of the competition between the attractive force of the nucleus on electrons and the repulsive forces between electrons.