Question

Describe the relationship between the radius of a cation and that of the atom from which it is formed. a. cations are much smaller than their corresponding parent b. cations are much larger than their corresponding parent c. cations are the same size as their corresponding parent d. there's no relation between the radius of a cation and that of the atom from which it is formed

Answer 1

Answer;

Cations are much smaller than their corresponding parent

Explanation;

• Parent atom has more electrons and thus the effective nuclear charge on each electron is less.
• When a cation is formed electron(s) is/are lost. Thus the effective nuclear charge or simply put, the attraction of the nucleus towards the electrons increases. Therefore, due to greater pull, the nucleus pulls the shells towards it, there by reducing the size, which makes cations smaller than their corresponding parent.