Why anion is bigger than cation

The remaining electrons are therefore held more tightly by the protons in the nucleus and thus their radii. This is opposite in case of anions. Anions are always larger than their parent atoms because the addition of 1 or more electrons would result in an increased repulsion among the electrons and a decrease in the effective nuclear charge. Thus increasing its size. A cation is smaller in size than its parent atom because of effective nuclear charge and lesser sheilding effect.

An anion is begger in size than its parent atom because of weak nuclear charge and strong sheilding effect. Nikhil 13 Points. Cation is a positively charged atom form when atom donate its electrons in order to gain estability. Due which ther are neutral ,but when atom loss elctron the negatively charged elctron decreases and protons remain same so, it leads to formation of cation or positive ion.

In anion negative charge increases due to gain of elctron and this negative charge electron repel each other because same charge repell each other so, the size of the negative ion or anion increases. Other Related Questions on Physical Chemistry. For the fix mass of A , masses of B combined View all Questions ». You will get reply from our expert in sometime. We will notify you when Our expert answers your question.

To View your Question Click Here. View courses by askIITians. Click Here Know More. Full Name. Email ID. Ne Na Mg Al Si P S Cl Ar K Ca Sc Ti V Cr Mn Fe Co Ni Cu Zn Ga Ge As Se Br Kr Rb Sr Y Zr Nb Mo Tc Ru Rh Pd Ag Cd In Sn Sb Te I The removal of electrons always results in a cation that is considerably smaller than the parent atom.

When the valence electron s are removed, the resulting ion has one fewer occupied principal energy level, so the electron cloud that remains is smaller. Another reason is that the remaining electrons are drawn closer to the nucleus because the protons now outnumber the electrons. One other factor is the number of electrons removed. The potassium atom has one electron removed to for the corresponding ion, while calcium loses two electrons.

The addition of electrons always results in an anion that is larger than the parent atom. When the electrons outnumber the protons, the overall attractive force that the protons have for the electrons is decreased. The electron cloud also spreads out because more electrons results in greater electron-electron repulsions. Notice that the group 16 ions are larger than the group 17 ions. The group 16 elements each add two electrons while the group 17 elements add one electron per atom for form the anions.

Use the link below to answer the following questions:. Skip to main content. The Periodic Table. Search for:. Ionic Radii Learning Objectives Define ionic radius.