The atomic radii of the elements of second period are given below:

(a) Arrange these elements in the decreasing order of their atomic radii (Keeping the element with the largest atomic radius first).
(b) Are the elements now arranged in the pattern of a period in the periodic table?
(c) Which elements have the largest and the smallest atoms?
(d) From this data, infer how the atomic size (or atomic radius) of the elements changes as you go from left to right in a period?

Explanation

(i) The decreasing order of atomic radii is :
`Li (152) gt Be (111) gt B (88) gt C(77) gt N(74) gt O(66)`
(ii) No, the arrangement of the elements is not systematic. The correct arrangement is as given above.
(iii) The element Li has the largest atoms while the element O has che smallest atoms. (iv) The atomic radii of the elements decrease in moving from left to the right.