Question

Answer the following

Explain the trends in atomic radii of d block elements.

Explain the trend in Atomic radii.

Answer 1

1. Atomic radii of the elements of the transition series decrease gradually from left to right.
2. As we move across a transition series from left to right, the nuclear charge increases by one unit at a time.
3. The last filled electron enters a penultimate (n - 1)d subshell. However, d orbitals in an atom are less penetrating or more diffused and, therefore d electrons offer smaller screening effects.
4. The result is that effective nuclear charge also increases as the atomic number increases along with a transition series. Hence, the atomic radii gradually decrease across a transition series from left to right.
   
   Trends in atomic radii of d block elements