Difference between O2- and N3-

[ariellasarkissian_3H]

In the solutions manual of the textbook, it says that N3- is more polarizable than O2-. I know that polarizability increases as the atom gets bigger and has less charge. N3- is bigger than O2-, but it also has more charge. Does this mean that when the pattern is not consistent, it is more important to take into account the size rather than the charge?

[Kenan Kherallah 2C]

So N3- is more polarizable than O2- because N3- is actually larger than O2- as well as less electronegative. My TA said that the trends for polarizability is actually the larger the atom is and the less electronegative, the more polarizable it is. So I dont think the charge here matters, its just telling you or indicating that the ionic radius of N3- is bigger than O2-.

[Melody Zhang 3L]

Polarizability does depend on both the charge and the atomic radius, and it increases as atomic radius increases and charge decreases. In this case, I believe N3- is more polarizable because there was a greater difference between atomic radii.

[Melody Zhang 3L]

Actually, I just searched it up and it says that 02 is more polarizable than n3 because 02 is larger than n3