## Polarizability

Melvin Reputana 1L
Posts: 55
Joined: Sat Aug 17, 2019 12:16 am

### Polarizability

From the textbook, it describes an anion being highly polarizable if it is large. On other hand, a cation is expected to have high polarizing power based on how small it is and if it is highly charged. Does the charge of an anion also matter for polarizability?

Karyn How 1J
Posts: 50
Joined: Thu Jul 25, 2019 12:16 am

### Re: Polarizability

I think the charge of the anion also matters because the more electrons the anion is holding on to the more likely and easily it is to get pulled by the cation’s charge. Especially if the anion has multiple electrons, the nucleus will be able to exert as much control on its outermost electrons which makes it more polarizable.

Jordan Ziegler 2J
Posts: 59
Joined: Sat Aug 17, 2019 12:15 am

### Re: Polarizability

Another way of looking at this is the equation for Coulombic potential energy:

$E=\frac{kq_{1}q_{2}}{r}$

where k is a proportional constant, q1 is the charge of the anion, q2 is the charge of the anion, and r is the distance between the two nuclei.

As you can understand from this equation, the greater the absolute value of the ionic charge of the anion and/or cation, the greater the energy of the bond between the two.

BeylemZ-1B
Posts: 95
Joined: Thu Jul 25, 2019 12:17 am

### Re: Polarizability

can someone explain why the size of the cation plays a role in how polarizing it can be?