Fluorine has an electron affinity of

CHEMISTRY · Subjective · A Level · Chemistry · Periodicity and periodic trends · Periodicity and periodic trends

Problem

Fluorine has an electron affinity of −328 kJ mol−1-328\,\text{kJ\,mol}^{-1}, whereas chlorine’s value is −349 kJ mol−1-349\,\text{kJ\,mol}^{-1}. Describe, in one to two sentences, why chlorine releases more energy than fluorine when it gains an electron, despite its lower effective nuclear charge.

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