Across a period from left to right, the atomic radius generally

Answer and explanation

Correct answer: C. decreases

  1. Step 1: Moving left to right across a period, protons are progressively added to the nucleus, increasing the nuclear charge.
  2. Step 2: The added electrons enter the same principal shell, experiencing similar shielding from inner core electrons.
  3. Step 3: The increasing effective nuclear charge pulls the valence electrons closer to the nucleus, causing the atomic radius to decrease overall.
Answer
decreases.

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