What trend does the first ionization energy follow, going down the periodic
table?
O
A. The first ionization energy increases because there are more
electrons in the atom.
O
B. The first ionization energy increases because there are more
protons in the nucleus.
O
C. The first ionization energy decreases because the outermost
electron is farther from the nucleus.
O
D. The first ionization energy decreases because atoms get smaller.
On moving down the group in a periodic table the size of the atom increases and electron are loosely bound to the nucleus therefore can be removed easily and hence ionization energy decreases.