Periodic Trends of Nonmetals

Nonmetals follow the general trends of atomic radii, ionization energy, and electron affinity. Radii increase to the left in any row and down any column on the periodic table. Ionization energies and electron affinities increase up any column and towards the right in any row on the periodic table. The noble gases do not have electron affinity values. Ionization energies are not very important for the nonmetals because they normally form anions. Variations appear whenever the nonmetal has a half-filled or filled subshell of electrons. The electronegativity 

Chemically, nonmetals are usually the opposite of metals. The nonmetallic nature will increase towards the top of any column and toward the right in any row on the periodic table. Most nonmetal oxides are acid anhydrides. When added to water, they will form acids. A few nonmetals oxides, most notably CO and NO, do not react. Nonmetal oxides that do not react are neutral oxides. The reaction of a nonmetal oxide with water is not an oxidation-reduction reaction. The acid that forms will have the nonmetal in the same oxidation state as in the reacting oxide. The main exception to this is N02, which undergoes an oxidation-reduction (disproportionation) reaction to produce HN03 and NO. When a nonmetal can form more than one oxide, the higher the oxidation number of the nonmetal, the stronger the acid it forms. 

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