In this flash card video, we're
going to discuss
"What is electron affinity?"
Electron affinity is the
energy associated with adding
an electron to an atom.
A positive electron affinity
means that
energy is required for the
electron
to be added to the atom.
A negative electron affinity
means that energy
is released when the electron
is added to the atom.
You should know that a greater
electron
affinity is a more negative
value.
And that's because, if you
think about it, affinity
means you like something.
So an atom with a high electron
affinity
likes electrons, and when a
species
likes electrons, it becomes
more stable.
It reaches a lower energy state
when it attains that electron.
And that is reflected when that
species releases
energy when it gains an
electron.
The periodic trend for electron
affinity
is that it increases going up
and to the right
across the periodic table.
