Practice question
Question
Which element in the fifth period has the highest third ionization enthalpy?
Explanation
Third ionization enthalpy peaks when removing an electron from a noble gas-like X²⁺ ion. Sr (after losing two electrons, becomes Sr²⁺ with 1s² 2s² 2p⁶ 3s² 3p⁶ 3d¹⁰ 4s² 4p⁶) has the highest value in period 5.