Answer to Question #343638 in Inorganic Chemistry for Macanacky Brains

Question

What is the trend in ionic radius from potassium to sodium

Answer 1

Firstly consider the trend of atomic size , it increases down the group and decreases along the period. The potassium atom has an extra electron shell compared to the sodium atom, which means its valence electrons are further from the nucleus, giving potassium a larger atomic radius