Question
Assign a reason for the following statement?
The electron gain enthalpy with negative sign for oxygen (–141'k] mol–1) is less that for sulphur (–200 kj mol– 1).
Solution
The electron gain enthalpy with negative sign for oxygen (–141 KJ mol–1) is less than that for sulphur (–200 KJ mol–1) due to the small size of oxygen atom so that the electron cloud is distributed over a small region of space and therefore, it repels the incoming electron.
