Final answer:
Atoms with higher ionization energies are typically found towards the upper right of the periodic table and have a smaller atomic size and greater nuclear charge. The ionization energy increases with the removal of successive electrons and is higher for electrons closer to the nucleus.
Step-by-step explanation:
To determine which atoms possess a higher ionization energy, several factors should be considered. These factors include the nuclear charge, atomic size, and whether the electron removed is an s or a p electron. As a general trend, ionization energy increases when moving from left to right across the periodic table because the nuclear charge increases while atomic size decreases. Thus, the electrostatic interactions between the nucleus and the valence electrons become stronger.
Ionization energy also tends to increase with the removal of successive electrons, especially if an electron is being removed from a filled inner shell. This is influenced by the element's electron affinity as well. Elements towards the upper right corner of the periodic table generally have higher ionization energies, while those in the lower left corner have lower ionization energies.
Within a group of the periodic table, ionization energy decreases as the size of the atom increases since the valence electrons are farther from the nucleus. Conversely, within a period, the ionization energy increases due to the increase in effective nuclear charge as you move across the row. In summary, a higher ionization energy can be correlated with smaller atomic size, greater nuclear charge, greater electron affinity, and the removal of electrons closer to the nucleus, typically found in elements towards the upper right of the periodic table.