Why is energy usually released when an electron is added to a neu...

Question

Why is energy usually released when an electron is added to a neutral atom but absorbed when an electron is removed from a neutral atom?

Accepted Answer

Hey, everyone were asked true or false energy is taken in when an electron is removed from a neutral atom, but given off when an electron is added to a neutral atom because effective nuclear charge is positive. So as we've learned as our effective nuclear charge increases the distance between the valence electrons and the nucleus decreases, so the addition of an electron to a neutral atom releases energy while the removal of an electron from a neutral atom means we absorb energy and looking at our questions them. This would prove that it is true now. I hope that made sense and let us know if you have any questions.

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