Electron Affinity

[Diana Alvarez 3A]

Why does Si have a higher electron affinity than P? I thought that the trend of electron affinity increased towards the top right as the atom gets smaller.

[Sara_you 2D]

P has a lower electron affinity than Si becasue P has a half filled p orbital which means its at a more stable state so it does not want to gain another electron.

[Joyce Lee 2F]

In the case of Phosphorous we have to disturb the this half filled state and thus less energy is released when we add one electron to it, which is why there is a lower electron affinity.

[405957853 3I]

This would be an example of an exception to the standard periodic trends. The 3 P orbital of phosphorus is half filled, meaning that it has a slightly higher stability than Si and is this slightly more unwilling to accept another electron.

[405957853 3I]

This would be an example of an exception to the standard periodic trends. The 3 P orbital of phosphorus is half filled, meaning that it has a slightly higher stability than Si and is this slightly more unwilling to accept another electron.

[CristinaG]

Phosphorus has a lower electron affinity than silicon because phosphorus' p orbital is only half filled. Meaning 3 of the electrons are unpaired. It makes it less willing to want to take on another for risk of being more unstable.