Periodic Trends

AP Chemistry· difficulty 2/5

Group 1 (top to bottom) Atomic Radius (pm) Li Na K Rb Cs

Going down group 1, atomic radius increases primarily because:

  • A

    Effective nuclear charge decreases significantly

  • B

    Each successive atom adds a new principal energy level (shell)

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  • C

    Electrons are added to a half-filled shell

  • D

    Atomic mass increases

Explanation

Each lower element has its valence electron in a higher n shell, which is farther from the nucleus.

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