Question

Atomic radii ____________ along the periods.

(a) Increases

(b) Decreases

(c) Remains constant

(d) Irregular

This question was posed to me in an interview for internship.

My question is taken from Periodic Trends in Properties of Elements topic in chapter Classification of Elements and Periodicity in Properties of Chemistry – Class 11

Answer 1

Right option is (b) Decreases

The explanation: Atomic radii decreases along the periods because as the number of electrons increases in the same shell of the atom, the effective nuclear attraction increases, thereby reducing the distance between the outer shell and the nucleus i.e. decreasing atomic radii.