The electronic configuration of an atom is one of the important factor which affects the value of ionization potential and electron gain enthalpy. Explain.

The electronic configuration of an atom is one of the important factor

1.	The electronic configuration of an atom is one of the important factor which affects the value of ionization potential and electron gain enthalpy. Explain.
Answer» Electronic configuration of an atom affects the value of ionization potential and electron gain enthalpy. Half filled valence shell electronic configuration and completely filled valence shell electronic configuration are more stable than partially filled electronic configuration. For e.g. Beryllium (Z = 4) 1s² 2s² (completely filled electronic configuration), Nitrogen (Z = 7) 1s² 2s² 2p_x¹ 2p_y¹ 2p_z¹ (half filled electronic configuration) Both beryllium and nitrogen have high ionization energy due to more stable nature. In the case of beryllium (1s² 2s²), nitrogen (1s² 2s² 2p³ ) the addition of extra electron will disturb their stable electronic configuration and they have almost zero electron affinity. Noble gases have stable ns² np⁶ configuration and the addition of further electron is unfavorable and they have zero electron affinity.