Question

Which atom, selenium (Se) or Arsenic (As), has the higher electron affinity and why?

Answer 1

Answer:

5. Selenium, because it does not have a stable, half-filled p subshell and adding an electron does not decrease its stability.

Explanation:

Electron affinity is the amount of energy released when an isolated gaseous atom accepts electron to form the corresponding anion.

Selenium:-

The electronic configuration of the element is:-

$[Ar]3d^{10}4s^24p^4$

Arsenic:-

The electronic configuration of the element is:-

$[Ar]3d^{10}4s^24p^3$

The 4p orbital in case of arsenic is half filled which makes the element having more stability as compared to selenium.

Thus, selenium has higher electron affinity because adding electron does not decrease the stability as in case of arsenic.