Courses
Courses for Kids
Free study material
Offline Centres
More
Store Icon
Store
seo-qna
SearchIcon
banner

Which of the following elements has the highest first ionization potential?
A. C
B. N
C. B
D. 0

Answer
VerifiedVerified
150.3k+ views
1 likes
like imagedislike image
Hint: The ionization potential of an element depends upon so many factors. Some important factors are the size of the atom, effective nuclear charge, tendency to form a stable electronic configuration, losing off a stable electronic configuration, etc.

Complete step by step answer:
In the case of carbon, boron, oxygens the electronic configuration are
1s22s22p21s22s22p1, 1s22s22p4. In these configurations removal of one electron generates a stable symmetric configuration. Therefore, the energy required to remove one electron from boron requires less energy.
On the other hand, in the case of nitrogen, the electronic configuration is 1s22s22p3. This electronic conjugation has a symmetric distribution which makes it stable. Due to this stable electronic configuration, the energy required to remove the electron from its outermost shell is very high.
Therefore, nitrogen has the highest first ionization potential.

So, the correct answer is option B.

Note: From left to right of a period size decreases as nuclear charge density increases. In this viewpoint ionization enthalpy of nitrogen should be lower than oxygen. But in this case formation of stable symmetric electronic configuration overcomes the effect of size.
Latest Vedantu courses for you
Grade 10 | CBSE | SCHOOL | English
Vedantu 10 CBSE Pro Course - (2025-26)
calendar iconAcademic year 2025-26
language iconENGLISH
book iconUnlimited access till final school exam
tick
School Full course for CBSE students
PhysicsPhysics
Social scienceSocial science
ChemistryChemistry
MathsMaths
BiologyBiology
EnglishEnglish
₹41,000 (9% Off)
₹37,300 per year
EMI starts from ₹3,108.34 per month
Select and buy