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30 May, 19:37

53 Explain, in terms of electrons, why the radius of a potassium atom is larger than the radius of a potassium ion in the ground state.

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  1. 30 May, 19:53
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    The potassium ion is K^1+, which contains less electrons than the neutral atom. The ion is an cation, and cations always have a smaller radius than the neutral atom due to less electrons that cause increased effective nuclear charge. This creates more coulombic attraction between the nucleus and the remaining electrons in the p orbital. The attraction towards the nucleus makes the radius of the cation decrease, and the cation is smaller than the parent atom
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