Rank the following in order of increasing electron affinity. Si, P, S

Question

Rank the following in order of increasing electron affinity.  Si, P, S

BlackTom AI · Accepted Answer

We are asked to rank Si, P, and S in increasing electron affinity (EA).
First, recall general periodic trends: across a period, EA tends to become more negative (larger release of energy) as you move left to right, but there are exceptions due to electron-electron repulsion and subshell stability. Among the elements given (all in the same period), the actual EA values roughly increase from P to Si to S, with phosphorus having the smallest EA, silicon intermediate, and sulfur the largest among these three.
Option 1: 'P<S<Si' implies P has the smallest EA, then S, then Si. This contradicts known values since S has a significantly higher EA than Si, so this ordering is incorrect.
Option 2: 'P<Si<S' expresses P as having the smallest EA, followed by Si, and S as the largest EA among the three. This aligns with the actual data where phosphorus has the least tendency to gain an electron, silicon is intermediate, and sulfur has the strongest tendency to gain an electron.
Option 3: 'S<Si<P' would mean sulfur has the smallest EA and phosphorus the largest, which clearly conflicts with measured EA values for these elements.
Option 4: 'Si<P<S' indicates silicon has the smallest EA, then phosphorus, then sulfur, which is not supported by the observed trend where phosphorus is least reactive in this context and sulfur is greatest among the three.
Option 5: 'Si<S<P' asserts silicon < sulfur < phosphorus, again contradicting the known EA magnitudes among these elements.
Option 6: 'S<P<Si' sets sulfur as smallest EA and silicon as largest, which is incorrect given sulfur has the largest EA of the three.
In summary, the only ordering that matches the empirical EA values for P, Si, and S is P < Si < S, where phosphorus has the smallest electron affinity, silicon is intermediate, and sulfur has the largest.
Therefore, the option that states 'P<Si<S' correctly captures the increasing EA sequence for these elements.

Rank the following in order of increasing electron affinity. Si, P, S

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