Explanation of The General Trends
The way the atomic radius varies with increasing atomic number can be explained by the arrangement of electrons in shells of fixed capacity. The shells are generally filled in order of increasing radius, since the negatively charged electrons are attracted by the positively charged protons in the nucleus. As the atomic number increases along each row of the periodic table, the additional electrons go into the same outermost shell; whose radius gradually contracts, due to the increasing nuclear charge. In a noble gas, the outermost shell is completely filled; therefore, the additional electron of next alkali metal will go into the next outer shell, accounting for the sudden increase in the atomic radius.
The increasing nuclear charge is partly counterbalanced by the increasing number of electrons, a phenomenon that is known as shielding; which explains why the size of atoms usually increases down each column. However, there is one notable exception, known as the lanthanide contraction: the 5d block of elements are much smaller than one would expect, due to the shielding caused by the 4f electrons.
The following table summarizes the main phenomena that influence the atomic radius of an element:
| factor | principle | increase with... | tend to | effect on radius |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| electron shells | quantum mechanics | principal and azimuthal quantum numbers | increase atomic radius | increases down each column |
| nuclear charge | attractive force acting on electrons by protons in nucleus | atomic number | decrease atomic radius | decreases along each period |
| shielding | repulsive force acting on outermost shell electrons by inner electrons | number of electron shells | increase atomic radius | reduces the effect of the 2nd factor |
Read more about this topic: Atomic Radius
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