Of the following which one is a correct statement

Options

A. Ionic radius of a metal is same as its atomic radius
B. The ionic of a metal is greater than its atomic radius
C. The atomic radius of a non - metal is more than its ionic radius
D. The ionic radius of a metal is less than its atomic radius

Answer

To determine which statement is correct regarding the ionic and atomic radii of metals and nonmetals, let's analyze each statement step by step.

### Step 1: Analyze the first statement
**Statement:** The ionic radius of a metal is the same as its atomic radius.

**Analysis:** This statement is false. When a metal atom loses electrons to form a cation, its effective nuclear charge increases due to the reduced electron-electron repulsion. As a result, the ionic radius (for example, Na⁺) is smaller than the atomic radius (for example, Na).

### Step 2: Analyze the second statement
**Statement:** The ionic radius of a metal is greater than its atomic radius.

**Analysis:** This statement is also false. As established in the first statement, when a metal loses electrons to form a cation, the ionic radius decreases. Therefore, the ionic radius of a metal is not greater than its atomic radius.

### Step 3: Analyze the third statement
**Statement:** The atomic radius of a nonmetal is more than its ionic radius.

**Analysis:** This statement is false. When a nonmetal atom gains electrons to form an anion, the effective nuclear charge decreases, leading to an increase in the ionic radius. For example, when oxygen gains two electrons to form O²⁻, its ionic radius is larger than its atomic radius.

### Step 4: Analyze the fourth statement
**Statement:** The ionic radius of a metal is less than its atomic radius.

**Analysis:** This statement is true. As previously mentioned, when a metal loses electrons to form a cation, the ionic radius decreases. Thus, the ionic radius of metals (like Na⁺) is indeed less than their atomic radius (like Na).

### Conclusion
After analyzing all four statements, the correct statement is:
**The ionic radius of a metal is less than its atomic radius.**

### Final Answer
**D. The ionic radius of a metal is less than its atomic radius.**

---