Electron Gain Enthalpy
Why does chlorine have a more negative electron gain enthalpy than fluorine?
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Solution
Added electron in F enters compact 2p subshell with higher repulsion
Although fluorine is more electronegative, its very small size makes the 2p subshell compact and crowded. The incoming electron experiences strong interelectronic repulsion in fluorine. In chlorine, the electron enters the larger 3p subshell with relatively less repulsion, so electron gain enthalpy is more negative.
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About This Question
- Subject
- chemistry
- Chapter
- classification of elements and periodicity in properties
- Topic
- electron gain enthalpy
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Year
- 2025
Solution
Correct Answer:
Added electron in F enters compact 2p subshell with higher repulsion
Although fluorine is more electronegative, its very small size makes the 2p subshell compact and crowded. The incoming electron experiences strong interelectronic repulsion in fluorine. In chlorine, the electron enters the larger 3p subshell with relatively less repulsion, so electron gain enthalpy is more negative.
This medium difficulty chemistry question is from the chapter classification of elements and periodicity in properties, covering the topic of electron gain enthalpy. It appeared in the 2025 exam.
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