Question

why does a cation become smaller when electrons are removed from an atom? the atom gains mass protons now outnumber electrons, drawing remaining electrons closer to the nucleus electron - electron repulsion increases electrons become more spread out what technique is typically used to determine ionic radius? x - ray crystallography electron microscopy nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy

Explanation:

For the first question, when electrons are removed from an atom to form a cation, the number of protons is greater than the number of electrons. The increased effective nuclear - charge pulls the remaining electrons closer to the nucleus, making the cation smaller. For the second question, X - ray crystallography is a common technique to determine ionic radius as it can provide information about the positions of ions in a crystal lattice.

Answer:

1. Protons now outnumber electrons, drawing remaining electrons closer to the nucleus
2. X - ray crystallography