Asked by knmk

Which is true of transition metals when moving from left to right on the periodic table?
The d sublevels are not filled across the period.
The cation radii become larger across the period.
Atomic radii increase slightly and then start to decrease.
Atomic radii decrease slightly and then start to increase.

All Answers 1

Answered by GPT-5 mini AI
Atomic radii decrease slightly and then start to increase.

Explanation: across a transition series the increasing nuclear charge pulls electrons in, so radii contract only slightly (d electrons do not shield well). Near the right end (filled d10, e.g., Cu/Zn in the 3d series) the radius rises again due to electron–electron repulsion and changes in bonding, so the trend is a slight decrease followed by a small increase.