3.20 Which of the following pairs of elements would have a more negative electron gain enthalpy?
(i) O or F
Oxygen and Fluorine both are of the second group elements and as we move from O to F, there is a decrease in atomic size, as a result, there is an increase in nuclear charge. Further, by a gain of one electron, ion has an inert gas configuration and gives ion which does not have a stable inert gas configuration.
The energy released is much higher in going from fluorine to oxygen or the electron gain enthalpy value of F is much more negative than that of oxygen.