Polarizing power

[VZX]

What determines an ion's polarizing power and what is the trend?

[Natalie Swerdlow 3K]

A metal cation's polarizing power is its ability to distort the neighboring electron cloud of an anion. It will be high in charge and smaller in size. The trend in the periodic table is that cations further up and to the right on the periodic table will have a smaller atomic radius and therefore higher polarizing power.

[Alexandra Lu 2J]

A cation has high polarizing power if it is 1. small and 2. highly charged
The reason for 1 is that a small radius means the nucleus of the cation can get very close to the anion, where it can exert a strong pull on the anion’s electrons.

[Violet Mbela 2B]

So the periodic trend is up and to the right?

[Nandini_Parmar_1I]

Polarizing power's trend is down and to the left because that is what can distort the electron cloud. Polarizability is the ability for a molecule to be distorted (usually large and negative elements), therefore the opposite type of element can contribute to the polarizability of a molecule.

[noahbehrendt2L]

Polarizing power is based on charge and size of the ion. Small highly charged ions have the most polarizing power.

[Eszter Kovacs 1A]

Generally ions that are highly charged and small have high polarizing power.

[Alekhya_Pantula_2E]

Polarizing power deals with the ability to distort the electron cloud, but more specifically the ability of a cation to distort the an anion. When the charge of the cation increases, the ionic radius decreases allowing the cation to get really close to the anion in order to distort the electron cloud.

[PatrickV]

How I remember the trend for polarizing power is that Li has the most polarizing power. I know that the trend is that the top left of the periodic table also has a smaller atomic radius.

[605537776]

Small, highly charged ions have the greatest polarizing power.

[JafarriNocentelli 1G]

Polarizing power trends go from down, and to the left on the Periodic Table