Polarizability
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Polarizability
If an atom has high polarizability, does that mean that that the atom pulls the electrons, or are the electrons being pulled from it? In addition, what are the trends for polarizability? Does it follow the same trend as ionization energy, electronegativity, and electron affinity?
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Re: Polarizability
I don't think its really a matter of electrons being pulled in or away from. In general, neutral atoms have spherically symmetric arrangements of electrons in their electron clouds. But in the presence of an electric field, they can get distorted. Polarizability is a measure of how easy that distortion occurs.
As for the trends in the periodic table, it decreases in the rows from left to right and it increases down on the columns.
As for the trends in the periodic table, it decreases in the rows from left to right and it increases down on the columns.
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Re: Polarizability
Polarizability is determined by whether the ion is an anion or cations. Generally, anions have polarizability while cations have polarizing power.
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Re: Polarizability
For cations, polarizing power decreases down a group and increases across a period (it is highest for small, highly charged cations). For anions, their polarizability increases down a group and decreases across a period (highest for larger anions).
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