Which of the following statements about sodium is not true?
Answer Details
The statement that is not true is "Na is smaller in size than Na+". In reality, the ionic radius of Na+ is smaller than the atomic radius of Na. When sodium loses one electron to form Na+, the number of electrons in the atom decreases from 11 to 10 while the number of protons in the nucleus remains the same at 11. This leads to an increase in the effective nuclear charge and a decrease in the size of the ion. Thus, Na+ is smaller than Na. The other statements are true. Na+ is smaller in size than Na, has fewer electrons than Na, and has a greater effective nuclear charge than Na.