Beryllium s Ionization Energy

Electronic Configuration: 1s2 2s2 Successive Ionization Energies: 1st = 899.5 kJ/mol 2nd = 1757.1 kJ/mol 3rd = 14848.7 kJ/mol 4th = 21006.6 kJ/mol Chart:

Explanation: The 1st and 2nd Ionization energy of lower than the 3rd and 4th because of their atomic structure and electronic configuration. The 1st two electrons which are removed are from the 2s orbital, whereas the next two electrons are removed from the 1s orbital. The two electrons from 1s orbital are considerably much closer to the nucleus than the two electrons from 2s orbital. So nuclear attraction on the 1s electrons are significantly high. So, more energy is required (nearly 120 times than removing 1st two) to remove the electrons from 1s orbital. This is the reason for the massive difference in Ionization energies of Beryllium. Diagram: 2s orbital electrons anywhere in this electron cloud. Nucleus. 1s orbital electrons anywhere in this dense electron cloud near nucleus with strong nuclear attraction.