1. Why ionization energy of sodium is higher than potassium?

ANSWER: Sodium has three orbits and potassium has four orbits. Lesser the distance of orbits from nucleus, higher the energy is required to remove the outermost electron, and vice versa. Therefore, more energy is required to remove electron from sodium than from potassium. Hence, the ionization energy of sodium is higher. 2. Which atom has higher shielding effect, Li or Na? ANSWER: The shielding effect describes the decrease in attraction between an electron and the nucleus in any atom with more than one electron shell. Li has 2 orbits and Na has 3 orbits, therefore the attraction in outermost electron of Na is less than that of Li, hence Na has higher shielding effect. 3. Write two ways in which isotope of an element differ? ANSWER: Isotopes of an element will have the same Atomic Number (Z) but a different Mass Number (A). Following are the two reasons why they differ. 1) Atomic Number (Z) is the number of protons in the nucleus of an atom and is the same for all atoms of the same element. Mass Number (A) is the number of protons + the number of neutrons in the nucleus of an atom and will be different for each isotope of an element. A particular isotope of an element can be referred to in a number of ways: eg, carbon-12, carbon-14 Symbol: 12C, 14C 12 C, 6 14 C, 6

2) Isotopes can be stable or unstable: a. A stable isotope does NOT undergo radioactive (or nuclear) decay. b. An unstable isotope undergoes radioactive (or nuclear) decay. 4. Shielding effect ANSWER: The term "shielding effect" refers to a decrease in attraction between electrons and the nucleus in an atom. Electrons are highly attracted to the nucleus, because they have a negative charge and the nucleus contains protons, which have a positive charge. When additional electrons are present in different orbits, the electrons repel each other slightly. This

repulsion force works against the nucleus attraction force, decreasing the attraction between the electrons and the nucleus. The positions of the electrons explain how much shielding occurs. Electrons in the first orbit, called S electrons, are shielded the least because they are closest to the nucleus. Electrons in the second orbit, the P orbit, are shielded slightly more. Electrons in the third orbit, the D orbit, are shielded more than in the P orbit. Therefore, the more electrons in an atom, the further the distance from the nucleus and the greater the decrease in attraction.