polarizing power and polarizability

[Moryel Yashar 1J]

What is the best way to compare the polarizability between anions? What about the polarizing power of cations?

[Nicholas Carpo 1L]

The polarizability of anions increases as the ion gets larger and less electronegative.

Meanwhile, the polarizing power of cations increases as the ion gets smaller and more highly charged.

[Ester Garcia 1F]

Polarizability of an anion is the measure of how easily its electron cloud can be distorted. Larger and more negatively charged anions (more electrons than protons) are highly polarizable. On the other hand, the polarizing power of a cation is the tendency to attract electrons of an anion distorting its electron cloud. Smaller, more positively charged cations (more protons than electrons resulting in a stronger nuclear pull) have greater polarizing power.

[Yvonne Du]

Since polarizing power describes the power of cations pulling electrons from the anions, small and highly charged cations would have a strong polarizing power to distort the electron clouds from the anions. Polarizability is the ability for anions to pull their electrons. Big and highly charged anions are highly polarizable because as the radius increases, the nucleus is not pulling on the electrons that much. Thus, it is easy to distort its electron clouds.

[Sydni Stewart]

Anions with a bigger atomic radius have a higher polarizability because electrons on the outer shell of big anions don't have a very strong pull towards the nucleus and are therefore easily taken
Cations with a smaller atomic radius have higher polarizing power because the nucleus pull is very strong and not covered by many orbitals

[Alexandra Albers 1D]

Between two anions with a negative charge, I believe that if they both end up with the same number of electrons, the one with the greater negative charge has more polarizing power. For cations, if they both end up with the same number of electrons, the one with the greater positive charge is more polarizable.