polar

[aaronharouni]

What is the difference between polarizability and polarizing power?

[Lumbini Chandrasekera 1B]

The major difference between the two is how polarizability is more in regards to anions and how they pull an electron to itself while polarizing power is in regards to cations and how they pull electrons towards themselves in bonds.

[Christopher Tran 1J]

Polarizability is the ease by which an electron cloud can be distorted, while polarizing power describes the ability to distort an electron cloud.

Polarizability describes an anion, and increases as its size increases (since a larger electron cloud is easier to distort) and negative charge decreases.
Polarizing power describes a cation, and increases as its size decreases and charge increases.

A high polarizability means an anion has a large enough electron cloud that can be easily distorted by the cation.
A high polarizing power means a cation has a strong enough positive charge to distort the negative electron cloud of the anion.