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Why Do Elements Go Down A Family

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Typically atomic radius increases as the elements go down a family. As the elements go down a family, they generally have an increasing number of energy levels or shells which results in an increased distance from the nucleus which makes the atom larger. Since the energy level is increasing, the screening level also increases. This means that the electrons are blocked and are held more loosely than other electrons closer to the nucleus. This causes the atom to be larger. As atoms go down a family, they become more metallic. Since they are becoming more metallic, the atoms want to lose electrons and therefore don’t hold the electrons as tightly, also making the atom larger. Typically as elements go across a series, they decrease in

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