Which element, Mg or Al, will have the higher first ionization energy, and why? Select the statement that best describes the reason for your choice. (Hint: in order to answer this question, first write out the electron config for both elements.)
Removing an electron from Mg is more difficult because the outermost electron is in a lower-energy ns orbital.
Mg will have a higher first ionization energy.
Al is farther to the right in the periodic table and has a higher value for effective nuclear charge.
Al will have a higher first ionization energy.