Polarizing vs Polarisability

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Ivan Roque Flores 1K
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Joined: Fri Sep 27, 2024 7:20 am

Polarizing vs Polarisability

Postby Ivan Roque Flores 1K » Fri Nov 08, 2024 5:35 am

During the discussion, I found it hard to understand the difference between Polarizing Power and Polarisability. I thought it had something to do with an atom's ionization energy, or followed the same/similar trend. Can someone explain what these two terms mean and how one (myself) can distinguish between them?

Noah Baird 1D
Posts: 74
Joined: Fri Sep 27, 2024 6:30 am

Re: Polarizing vs Polarisability

Postby Noah Baird 1D » Fri Nov 08, 2024 7:47 am

The polarizing power of an atom refers to the ability of that given atom to distort and exert attractive forces on the electron cloud of another atom. This means that if an atom has a much higher ionization energy, it is said to have a higher polarizing power since it exerts more attractive forces on its own electrons and, thus wants to pull electrons closer to it, which will then distort the electron cloud of another atom to a higher degree. This can be seen in very small and highly charged ions, such as the Mg2+ ion which would have a higher polarizing power than the Rb+ atom. Polarizability however refers to how easily an atom's electron cloud can be distorted. This is seen in atoms with a very low ionization energy, as if the atom does not hold its electrons tightly to its nucleus, another polarizing atom can easily distort them. This is the reason why Iodine is much more polarizable than fluorine, leading to the greater ionic character of the bond in HI when compared to HF.


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