Why is second ionization energy larger than first ionization energy

Question

Chemistry

Elizabeth Peterson

11 April, 22:55

Why is second ionization energy larger than first ionization energy

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Answers (2)

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Yoselin Delacruz · Answer 1

Hi!

Why is second ionization energy larger than first ionization energy?

The reason second ionization energy is larger is because it takes more energy to remove an electron from a poistively charged ion than it does from an neutral atom.

Damarion · Answer 2

Ionization energy is the energy required to remove an electron from a neutral atom. When an electron is removed from an atom, the neutral atom becomes positively charged. When another electron is attempted to be removed from the same atom, this requires more energy than the first one, as the attractive force between the electrons and protons are greater owing to the presence of the extra proton. In order to break this force we need more energy to remove the second electron. Hence the second ionization energy is greater than the first ionization energy.