How does the shielding effect relate to periodic trends?

Question

Emilia Alvarez · Accepted Answer

Shielding effect in an atom is a measure of the reduction in the effective nuclear attraction between the nucleus and the valence electrons.

Shielding effect is caused by the shells(and the electrons in them) that are between the nucleus and the valence shells.

A Period on the periodic table groups together all elements that a particular number of shells, thereby, indicating the shielding effect!

Hence, there is a regular variation(a periodic trend) in the shielding effect from one period to another.

Isaac Aronson · Answer

undefined The shielding effect refers to the phenomenon where inner electron shells partially shield outer electrons from the attractive force of the nucleus. This results in a decrease in the effective nuclear charge experienced by the outer electrons. In periodic trends, the shielding effect influences the atomic and ionic size, as well as ionization energy and electron affinity. Elements with more electron shells have greater shielding effects, leading to larger atomic and ionic sizes, lower ionization energy, and higher electron affinity. Additionally, as you move down a group in the periodic table, the number of electron shells increases, leading to increased shielding effects and larger atomic and ionic sizes. Conversely, as you move across a period from left to right, the shielding effect remains relatively constant while the nuclear charge increases, resulting in a decrease in atomic size and an increase in ionization energy and electron affinity.