Question

What exactly is polarizablity? Yes, the bigger the molecule, the larger the polarizability, but what does that actually mean?

Answer 1

Polarizability allows us to better understand the interactions between nonpolar atoms and molecules and other electrically charged species, such as ions or polar molecules with dipole moments

Neutral nonpolar species have spherically symmetric arrangements of electrons in their electron clouds. When in the presence of an electric field, their electron clouds can be distorted . The ease of this distortion is defined as the polarizability of the atom or molecule

Factors that Influence Polarizability

The relationship between polarizability and the factors of electron density and atomic radii is as follows:

1. The greater the number of electrons, the less control the nuclear charge on charge distribution, and thus the increased polarizability of the atom.
2. The greater the distance of electrons from nuclear charge, the less control the nuclear charge on the charge distribution, and thus the increased polarizability of the atom.