Home Preparation for National Talent Search Examination (NTSE)/ Olympiad
Chapter : 7. Periodic Classification of Element
Variation down the Group
Variation down the Group : Electron affinity goes on decreasing down the group in general. Reason : Due to the increase in atomic size, the force of attraction between the nucleus and the electron to e added becomes less. Variation along a Period : Electron affinity increase from left to right in period. Reason : It is due to decrease in atomic size which leads to an increase in the force of attraction between the nucleus and the electrons to be added. Example :
However, deviations to this rule are observed in variation of electron affinity.