Chapter 3 - Active Learning Questions - Page 150: 5

See explanation

The statement is incorrect. Oxygen wants to achieve a stable electron configuration, which involves gaining two electrons to fill its valence shell. This part is correct. However, oxygen has a first electron affinity that is favorable (exothermic) because it gains one electron to achieve a stable half-filled p orbital. The second electron affinity is unfavorable (endothermic) because it requires adding an electron to a stable, negatively charged ion. Therefore the statement “The second electron affinity is more negative than the first.” is incorrect. In fact, the second electron affinity of oxygen is positive — meaning energy must be added to force the second electron onto the already negatively charged O⁻ ion. The corrected statement is: “Although oxygen tends to form a -2 charge in compounds, the second electron affinity is less favorable than the first — it is actually positive, because adding a second electron to an already negatively charged ion requires energy input due to electrostatic repulsion.”