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Why does potassium have a higher second ionization energy than calcium?

User Richardsonae
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21 votes

Answer:

The first ionization energy for K is less than Ca because Ca has a larger effective nuclear charge. There is a large increase in the second ionization energy for K compared to Ca because removal of the second electron from K is a core electron that is in a quantum shell closer to the nucleus.

Step-by-step explanation:

User Frank Adrian
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