Second Ionization Energy

Definition

The second ionization energy refers to the amount of energy required to remove a second electron from an atom or ion that has already lost one electron. It is generally higher than the first ionization energy because it becomes more difficult to remove electrons as the positive charge on the nucleus increases.

Related terms

First Ionization Energy:

The amount of energy required to remove one electron from an atom or ion.

Electronegativity:

A measure of an atom's ability to attract electrons towards itself when chemically bonded with another element.

Atomic Radius:

The size of an atom, typically measured as half the distance between two nuclei in a covalently bonded molecule.