Question

Which electron requires the most ionization energy- the 1st, 2nd, or 3rd electron on a sodium atom and explain why.

Answer 1

1st.

It is closest to the positively charged nucleus which attracts the negatively charged electron with the attractive force being inversely proportional to distance.

Answer 2

The correct answer is "the 3rd electron".

Step-by-step explanation:

The ionization energy is defined as the minimum quantity of energy that an electron requires to be removed from an atom at a defined moment. In the case of sodium, is widely known that the most common ion found in nature is Na+. This is explained because the 1st electron is the one that requires less ionization energy. Among the 1st, 2nd and 3rd electrons, the one that requires more ionization energy is the 3rd, because it represents the sum of the 1st and the 2nd. I attached a table as reference.