Question

Rank the following elements by electron affinity, from most positive to most negative EA value.

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Answer 1

Electron affinity refers to the energy released when an electron is added to a neutral atom. Electron affinity is more positive when the added electron destabilizes the atom and the electron affinity is more negative for the species which is stabilized by adding an electron i.e. when an atom completes its octet. Generally, electron affinity (EA) for noble gases is most positive as they already have an octet and addition of electron destabilizes their fully filled valence electronic configuration. EA becomes more negative on moving left to right in a periodic table. Consider the given atoms: S, He, P, Br, K Out of these elements He is a noble gas thus, it will have the most positive EA value. The group number of other elements is as follows: Element Group Number K 15 16 17 Br As electron affinity becomes nmore negative on moving left to right in a periodic table therefore, electron affinity of Br is the most negative. Hence the order of electron affinity from most positive to most negative is as follows: Most positive Most negative Не, Br, K, P, S,