Questions: Which element will form the ion with the smallest ionic radius?

Transcript text: Which element will form the ion with the smallest ionic radius?

Solution

Solution Steps

Step 1: Identify the Elements in Question

The question asks which element forms the ion with the smallest ionic radius. The elements provided are:

N (Nitrogen)
F (Fluorine)

Step 2: Determine the Ionic Forms

Nitrogen typically forms the ion \( \text{N}^{3-} \) and Fluorine forms the ion \( \text{F}^{-} \).

Step 3: Compare Ionic Radii

Ionic radius generally decreases with increasing nuclear charge for ions with the same number of electrons. Both \( \text{N}^{3-} \) and \( \text{F}^{-} \) have the same number of electrons (10 electrons), but Fluorine has a higher nuclear charge (9 protons) compared to Nitrogen (7 protons).

Step 4: Conclusion

Since \( \text{F}^{-} \) has a higher nuclear charge than \( \text{N}^{3-} \), it will attract its electrons more strongly, resulting in a smaller ionic radius.