Question

Metallic Character ________ and Non-Metallic Character _______ from Left to Right in a Period. (Fill in the blanks).

Answer 1

Metallic character depends on the ability of the element to lose the electron. Moving down the group ability of elements to lose the electron increases. Metals are present on the left side of the periodic table and non-metals are present on the right side of the periodic table.

Complete answer:
As we move from left to right across the period atomic size decreases as the new electron is added to the same shell. Due to a decrease in the ability of an element to lose valence electrons from left to right across a period, metallic character decreases across a period from left to right. Due to a decrease in atomic size and increase in the number of valence electrons, the tendency of elements to lose the outermost valence electron decreases across the period from left to right. Metallic character depends on the ability of the element to lose the valence electron.
Due to an increase in atomic size down the group, the tendency of the element to lose the outermost valence electron increases down the group and thus metallic character increases as we move from top to bottom down the group.
Metallic character decreases and non-metallic character increases from left to right in a period.

Note:
Remember that while moving down the group due to an increase in atomic size less energy is required to remove the outermost electron. Hence metallic character decreases across a period and increases down the group.