Ionic Radii

Ionic Radii

1. The radius of a positive ion is always smaller than the radius of the atom from which it was formed

   • Removing one or more electrons reduces electron-electron repulsion, so the same attractive force from the nuclear charge results in the electrons being closer to the nucleus
     • Also, the formation of cations often results in the loss of all the electrons in the outer valence shell

2. When an anion forms, the increased electron-electron repulsion resulting from the additional electron increases the radius and results in decreased electrostatic attraction between nucleus and valence electrons