For the elements Be, B, and N, the first ionization energy increases in the order:

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To start, let’s lay out what the first ionization energy (IE1) represents: the energy required to remove the outermost electron from a neutral atom. For the second period elements Be, B, and N, the values increase as you move from left to right overall, but there is a notable dip at boron due to electron configuration effects.

Option 1: Be < B < N. This would mean Be has the smallest IE1, followed by B, then N. In reality Be has a higher IE1 than B (Be’s 2s electrons are more tightly held than B’s 2p electrons, and B has a relatively unstable 2p electron that sits higher in energy), so this ordering is incorrect.

Option 2: Be < N < B. This suggests B has the largest IE1 after N, which contradicts known data where nitrogen has a higher IE1 than both Be and B. Since N’s p-electrons are increasingly stabilized and held more tightly, the sequence Be < N < B does not match the observed trend and is inaccurate.

Option 3: N < Be < B. If nitrogen had the smallest IE1, that would imply it loses its electron most readily, which is opposite to the general trend across the period where nitrogen (and carbon) require more energy to remove an electron than the left-side elements. This option is inconsistent with the periodic trend.

Option 4: N < B < Be. This would place nitrogen as the easiest to ionize, which is false; nitrogen’s IE1 is among the higher values in this group, not the lowest. So this ordering is incorrect.

Option 5: B < Be < N. This arrangement places boron with the smallest IE1, followed by beryllium, and then nitrogen with the largest IE1 among the three. This aligns with the known data: B has a relatively low IE1 due to its electron configuration (2p1) that is easier to remove than Be’s stable 2s2 electrons, and N has a high IE1 because removing a 2p electron from a near-filled p-shell requires substantial energy. Therefore, this choice matches the actual trend across Be, B, and N.

In summary, the ordering that reflects the increasing first ionization energy from smallest to largest among these three elements is the one that places boron first, then beryllium, and finally nitrogen. The other options contradict the established electronic structure effects and observed IE1 values for these elements.

For the elements Be, B, and N, the first ionization energy increases in the order:

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