Explain why is there a phenomenal decrease in ionisation enthalpy from

1.	Explain why is there a phenomenal decrease in ionisation enthalpy from carbon to silicon ?
Answer» Solution :Ionisation enthalpy of carbon (the first element of group 14) is very HIGH (1086 kJ/mol). This is expected owing to its SMALL SIZE. HOWEVER, on moving down the group to SILICON, there is a sharp decrease in the enthalpy (786 kJ). This is because of an appreciable increase in the atomic sizes of elements on moving down the group.

Discussion