The IE1, of carbon, is more than that of boron while its IE2 value is smaller. Explain.
IE1 of carbon and boron:
It is primarily due to:
(i) the increase in nuclear charge.
(ii) The decrease in the atomic size of carbon. Due to the combined effect of these two factors, the force of attraction between the nucleus and the electron to be removed increases. Hence IE, value of carbon is more than that of boron.
IE2 of carbon and boron:
The electronic configuration of B+ and C+ ions are:
The electronic configuration of B+ ion is more symmetrical than that of C+ ion since in the former case, both the orbitals are filled. Therefore, the configuration of B+ ion is more stable and its IE2 value is more than that of C+ ion.