NEET Solved Paper 2014 Question 30

Question: Reason of lanthanoid contraction is [AIPMT 2014]

Options:

A) negligible screening effect of T orbitals

B) increasing nuclear charge

C) decreasing nuclear charge

D) decreasing screening effect

Show Answer

Answer:

Correct Answer: A

Solution:

  • Lanthanoid contraction is the regular decrease in atomic and ionic radii of lanthanides. This is due to the imperfect shielding [or poor screening effect] of f-orbitals due to their diffused shape, which unable to counterbalance the effect of the increased nuclear charge. Hence, the net result is a contraction in size of lanthanoids.