Question

The less tightly an electron is bound to the nucleus the more reactive the element is. Why though?

Answer 1

Reactive = electrons are able to interact with other elements, aka cause an chemical reaction.

Answer 2

Thank you, but like I wanted an answer in terms of electronic configuration and ionisation energy, but thanks anyway!

Answer 3

A reaction is more likely to take place if the energy to initiate it is lower. The relationship of the energy of required to remove an electron can be seen in Coulomb's Law:\[E = K*\frac{Q_{1}Q_{2}}{r^{2}}\] As the distance between atoms increases, the value of E decreases, that is, the amount of energy it takes to remove the electron decreases.

The more electron shells you fill, the further the electrons are from the nucleus, and the easier it is to remove them. This becomes *really* important later on when you begin to consider things like acid strength. Does that help?

Answer 4

Alright, yeah it did help, thank you both so much.

Answer 5

Glad it was useful. :)