Question

Which out of n and o has higher negative electron gain enthalpy?

Answer 1

Electron gain enthalpy of Nitrogen is higher than oxygen because -

-Electron gain enthalpy is said to be positive an electron is added to an element

-And, it is negative when an electron is removed from the element

-The electronic configuration of O is 2s,2p4 so it has a tendency to donate one electron and thus its electron gain enthalpy is negative.

-Whereas the electronic configuration of nitrogen is 2s2 2p3, it has half filled p shell which is a stable configuration and is difficult to remove an electron from it. Thus its electron gain enthalpy is always positive.

Answer 2

Answer:

The negative electron gain enthalpy of fluorine is less than that of chlorine. It is due to small size of fluorine atom. As a result, there are strong interelectronic repulsions in the relatively small 2p orbitals of fluorine and thus, the incoming electron does not experience much attraction.