Why Is The EA Of Magnesium Positive But The EA Of Sodium Negative? The first ionization energy of magnesium is larger than sodium because magnesium has one more proton in its nucleus to hold on to the electrons in the 3s orbital. … The same pattern can be seen in the ionization energies of aluminum.
What Causes Low First Ionization Energy? The more electrons shielding the outer electron shell from the nucleus, the less energy required to expel an electron from said atom. The higher the shielding effect the lower the ionization energy (see diagram 2). Why do metals have low ionization energy? Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. Metal atoms lose electrons
Why Does Hydrogen And Helium Have Different Energy Levels? The short answer is that it’s because helium has more electrons than hydrogen. In hydrogen, it’s common for more than one state to have the same energy. That’s called “degeneracy.” The extra electron in helium breaks these degeneracies. Also, there are more different ways for the