Which properties are most common in nonmetals?

Question

A)high ionization energy and high electronegativity
B)high ionization energy and low electronegativity
C)low ionization energy and high electronegativity
D)low ionization energyand low electronegativity
i was told that b is wrong. i have no idea what the answer is, so could you please tell me the correct answer and why? thanks :)

Answer 1

The nonmetals are on the right and upper side of the periodic table.
B is incorrect because the most electronegative atoms are Fluroine, Oxygen and Nitrogen, in that order.

You can eliminate any answer that says low electronegativity. You are therefore left between A and C.

The nonmetals are very electronegative because they need one more electron to complete their orbitals. Because they want an electron so much they are electronegative.

Ionization Energy increases from left to right across the periodic table. This is the energy required to basically knock one electron off the orbital of an atom. Since the nonmetals are already "thirsty" for electrons, knocking off another one would be even more difficult.


Therefore, the correct answer is A, high ionization energy and high electronegativity.

Answer 2

The answer is A,
moving from left to right across a period, there is a general increase in the first ionization energy example is the case as we move from nitrogen to oxygen. The electronic configuration of nitrogen is 1s^2 2s^2 2p^3, while that of oxygen is 1s^2 2s^2 2p^4.The half-filled 2p subshell in nitrogen with its evenly distributed charge(there is one electron in each of the p orbitals) is more stable than the 2p subshell in oxygen which contains four electrons. Thus, nitrogen has a higher ionization energy. The important thing about this example is to show you that non-metals have higher ionization energy, by using the elements closest together which are non-metals.

Electronegativities of elements increase across a period but decrease down a group.The most electronegative elements are the reactive non-metals(such as Fluorine) in the top right hand corner of the periodic table, while the least electronegative elements are the reactive metals(such as caesium) in the bottom left-hand corner of the periodic table.
Just for you to know:
As we move from one element across a period, the nuclear charge increases and the atomic radius decreases. These two factors combine to increase the electron-attracting power of the atom. This leads to increase in the electronegativity of the element

Answer 3

c - low ionization energy and high electronegativity