Which of the following atom should have the highest negative first electron gain enthalpy ?

Options

A. F
B. O
C. N
D. C

Answer

A

Explanation

The negative of electron gain enthalpy is taken aas electron affinity . Electron affinities have positive values. However elements of group 2, 18 and N have zero values . Thus F has the highest electron affinity i.e., option ( a) is correct. The actual order of electron affinities in kJ `mol^(-1)` however follows the order : `F (328 ) gt O (141) gt C (122) gt N` (zero) .