CHEMISTRY COMMUNITY

Is there a periodic trend for polarizing power?

Yes, it essentially follows the radii trend on the periodic table, so up the rows and to the right on the columns polarizing power decreases. Hope this helps!

There is, but it depends if you are analyzing the anion or the cation. When analyzing the cation, smaller atomic radius + higher charged cations have a higher polarizing power. This is because they have a stronger pull on the electrons of the anion they are bonding with. When looking at the anion, larger and less electronegative anions are more polarizable. This is because their electrons are usually farther from the numcleus, thus are easier to warp.