Department of Chemistry, VSSUT Burla

Assignment -1 Module 1
Faculty: Dr.Achyut Kumar Panda

P E R I O D I C P R O P E R T I E S

Answer the bolded questions only

Basic concept
1. What is the Aufbau principle?
2. What does Pauli's exclusion principle state?
3. What is Hund's rule of maximum multiplicity?
4. What is effective nuclear charge (Zeff)? Discuss the different factors affecting the Zeff.
Why do the effective nuclear charge (Zeff) increases from left to right across a period
and decreases down the group?
5. What is shielding/screening effect? How does it affect the Zeff? How does the shielding
effect vary within a period and down a group?
6. What is penetration power? Compare the penetration power of different orbital with
probability density plot.
7. Why is the 2s orbital more tightly bound to the nucleus than the 2p orbital?
8. How does the penetrating power of electrons vary within the same shell (n)?
9. What is a node in electron orbitals?

Periodicity in Properties
1. What is meant by periodicity in properties of element? Name the properties showing
periodicity in the periodic table.
2. Which elements constitute the first transition series, and why Cu and Cr have different
electronic configuration from the expected pattern?
3. Why there is a block named s-block in the periodic table? Name the different groups
present in this block.
4. Why are s-block elements good reducing agents?
5. Write the general electronic configuration of s, p, d and f-block elements with
examples.
6. How does metallic character change across the p-block elements?
7. Which group of elements in the periodic table is known as noble gases?
8. Why are halogens highly reactive?
9. Why are d-block elements are called transition elements?
10. What are the two series of inner transition elements in the f-block? Why they are
placed below the main body of the table?
11. What are “Trans-Uranium” elements?

Atomic and Ionic Radii

 1. What is atomic radius? Why is it difficult to directly measure the atomic radius of an
individual atom? Name the method to measure the atomic radii? How is the atomic
radius of a nonmetal determined and what is the name of this bond in case of non-
metals?
2. How is the atomic radius of a metal determined and what is the name of this bond?
3. What is the van der Waals radius, and why noble gas form this type of bond?
4. If the inter-nuclear distance between two chlorine atoms in a Cl2 molecule is 198 pm,
what is the covalent radius of chlorine?
5. What is the metallic radius of an atom ‘X’ if the distance between two adjacent ‘X
’atoms in solid form is 270pm?
6. What is the general trend in atomic radii as you move down a group in the periodic
table and explain the reason?
7. What happens to atomic radii as you move from left to right across a period in the
periodic table within the s and p blocks?
8. Why do the atomic radii of the 2nd and 3rd rows of d-block elements appear similar
in size?
9. What is lanthanide contraction? Which contraction is stronger lanthanide(4f) or
actinide(5f) and why?
10. Why the size of a cation is less and that of anion more than its atom? What is the
trend in ionic radii across the period and down the group? Mention the cause of the
trend.

Ionization Enthalpy
1. What is ionization energy? In what units are ionization energies expressed? How is
the second ionization energy (IE2) defined? Which energy is greater between the first
and second ionization energies?
2. How does ionization enthalpy differ from ionization energy? Name any two factors
that influence ionization energy and enthalpy?
3. Compare the ionization enthalpies of alkali metals and noble gases.
4. Why Alkali metals have low ionization energy?
5. Why does the ionization energy of noble gas atom higher?
6. Write the trend in ionization enthalpy as you move down a group? Describe the three
factors that contribute to the change in ionization enthalpy down a group.
7. Why does ionization enthalpy generally increase from left to right across a period?
8. Explain the deviation in ionization enthalpy between beryllium (Be) and boron (B) in
the periodic table.
9. Why does oxygen (O) have a lower ionization enthalpy than nitrogen (N), despite
having a greater atomic number?
10. Give an example of an element in the periodic table with exceptionally high ionization
enthalpy. Explain why it is high.
Electron Gain Enthalpy
1. What is electron gain enthalpy? What units are used to measure electron gain
enthalpy? How is the sign convention for electron gain enthalpy different from
electron affinity?
2. Why does electron gain enthalpy increase across a period and decrease down a group
in the periodic table?
3. Why do sulfur (S) and chlorine (Cl) have larger electron gain enthalpies than oxygen
(O) and fluorine (F)?
4. Why the second electron gain enthalpy of all elements are always positive? Why do noble
gases have high positive values of electron gain enthalpy?

Electronegativity
1. What is electronegativity? Define it taking a suitable example. Name the different
scale to express the electronegativity of element. Which electronegativity scale is
widely accepted.
2. How did Linus Pauling calculate electronegativity?
3. which is the most electronegative element in the periodic table and What value did
Linus Pauling arbitrarily assign to it’s electronegativity?
4. How did Robert Mulliken define electronegativity and write the formula?
5. Why the element having high IE and high EG is more electronegative?
6. What is the Allred-Rochow electronegativity scale based on? Write the equation.
7. What does the difference in electronegativity between two atoms helps to predict?
8. What is the nature of bond(covalent/non-covalent) if the electronegativity of two
heteroatoms are equal?
9. What is the nature of bond(covalent/non-covalent) if the electronegativity of two
heteroatoms are not equal?
10. When does a bond have more than 50% ionic character?
11. What is called :Bonds with more than 50% ionic character (ii) more than 50%
covalent character?
12. How is % ionic character calculated using Hanny and Smith's equation?
13. Write the trend in the percentage of ionic character for HF, HBr, HCl, and HI?
Justify your answer.
14. How does the electronegativity of elements change across a period and down the
group?
15. How does the stability of a bond relate to the difference in electronegativity? Provide
an example of the stability order of hydrogen halides based on electronegativity? Why
are compounds with a very small electronegativity difference value tend to be
unstable? Why are compounds with a very large electronegativity difference value
generally stable?
16. How does the acidic character of oxides change across a period in the periodic table?
What causes the increase in acidic character of oxides across a period?
 17. How does the metallic character change across a period and down the group in the
periodic table? Which elements are typically metallic on the periodic table? Which
elements are typically non-metals on the periodic table? In which groups is the
increase in metallic character most pronounced?
18. What determines the acidic or basic nature of XOH compounds? When does XOH
behave as an acid? When does XOH behave as a base? What suggestion did Gallais
make regarding the acidity of XOH compounds?
19. Provide the formula for calculating the bond length of AB. What are the two factors that
influence bond length in the formula?
20. What happens to the bond length when the electronegativity difference increases?
Why does the electronegativity difference reduce the bond length? What type of
bonds tend to be stronger, those with a large or small electronegativity difference?

Polarising Power and Polarisability: Fajan’s Rule

1. Define polarization and polarizing power of ions.
2. What is the relationship between charge and polarisability of anions?
3. What is the relationship between polarization and covalent character in chemical
compounds?
4. State Fajan's rule. What are the limitations of Fajan's rules in predicting covalent
character?
5. How does the charge and size of cation affect polarization and covalent character?
6. Why do cations with noble gas configurations have less polarizing power?
7. What is the importance of electronic configuration in polarisation? What happens to
covalent character as you move down a group and across a period on the periodic table?
8. What determines the polarising power of cations? Why are small cations effective in
polarising anions?
9. How does the covalent character of compounds change in the halides of calcium?
10. Which cation, Cu+ or Na+, exhibits greater polarisation of Cl- ions? Why?
11. What are the factors that favor covalent character in chemical compounds?
12. Account for the anomalies in melting points of sodium chloride (NaCl), potassium
chloride (KCl), and rubidium chloride (RbCl)?
13. What is the trend in polarising power for cations Be2+, Mg2+, Ca2+, Sr2+, and Ba2+?
14. Why does Cu+ exhibit greater polarisation of Cl- ions than Na+?
15. Why do some cations like Na+ have less polarizing power?
16. Which of RbCl and NaCl is having more covalent character/ ionic character? Why?
17. If a compound has:A. 78% covalency. B. 19% covalency. What can you say of its
color?

Oxidation State
1. Define oxidation state. What determines the oxidation state of an element?
2. What is the inert pair effect? Why does the inert pair effect occur?
3. In Group 14, which elements can show an oxidation state of +2 due to the inert pair effect?
1. Why do boron and thallium have different stable oxidation states than other elements
of the same group?
2. What is the common oxidation state for Group 15 elements? Why is it difficult for Group
15 elements to lose five electrons?
3. What are the common oxidation states of the Halogen family elements?
4. Do transition metals have fixed or variable oxidation states?
5. What is the most common oxidation state for lanthanoids and actinoids?
6. Which Group 15 element exhibits an oxidation state range from -3 to +5?
7. What is the common oxidation state of oxygen in most compounds?
8. Name a Group 17 element that can exhibit oxidation states higher than -1.
9. Why do boron and thallium have different stable oxidation states even when in the
same group?
10. What is the oxidation state of oxygen in OF2 and H2O2?
11. Write a brief note on the oxidation state of transitional element.
12. Why does Sulphur exhibit higher oxidation states?
13. What are the common oxidation states of Noble gases.