Polarizability vs. Polarizing power

[Triana Perez]

What is the difference between polarizability and polarizing power. Does it depend on the size on the anions and cations?

[Andre Ambarchyan 2B]

Polarizability is the ability of an anion to get polarized (or distorted) in shape, while polarizing power is the ability of a cation to polarize an anion. Anions get polarized while cations typically have the ability TO polarize. Anions that are larger typically are highly polarizable, while cations that are smaller and more charged typically have the higher polarizing power. So, size and charge matter when determining whether an ion has high polarizability/polarizing power. I hope I helped!