Trend: Atomic Radius
- Elements in the periodic table are arranged in order of increasing atomic number and placed in vertical columns (groups) and horizontal rows (periods)
- The elements across the periods show repeating patterns in chemical and physical properties
- This is called periodicity
All elements are arranged in the order of increasing atomic number from left to right
Atomic radius
- The atomic radius is the distance between the nucleus and the outermost electron of an atom
- The atomic radius is measured by taking two atoms of the same element, measuring the distance between their nuclei and then halving this distance
- In metals this is also called the metallic radius and in non-metals, the covalent radius
Atomic radii of Period 3 elements
- You can see a clear trend across the period:
The graph shows a decrease in atomic radii of Period 3 elements across the period
- Across the period, the atomic radii decrease
- This is because the number of protons (the nuclear charge) and the number of electrons increases by one every time you go an element to the right
- The elements in a period all have the same number of shells (so the shielding effect is the same)
- This means that as you go across the period the nucleus attracts the electrons more strongly pulling them closer to the nucleus
- Because of this, the atomic radius (and thus the size of the atoms) decreases across the period
The diagram shows that across Period 3, the elements gain extra electrons in the same principal quantum shell