Question

Discuss the following property with reference to noble gases:

Atomic radii

Answer 1

1. Atomic radii of noble gases are actually their van der Waals' radii, larger than those of group 17 elements (halogens).
2. Atomic radius increases down the group from helium to xenon due to the addition of new electron shells.
3. In a period, noble gases have larger atomic radii than halogens due to increased electron repulsion in their full valence shells.
4. These radii are larger than covalent or ionic radii because they represent distances between atoms, not within them.