How anomalous are the anomalous properties of fluorine? Ionization energy and electron affinity revisited

It is well established that atomic fluorine has a miserly high ionization energy and avariciously high electron affinity. Yet, as was shown some 30 years ago, the latter value is anomalously low-linear extrapolation shows the value to be some 110 kJ/mol less than expected by comparison to the heavier halogens. Related literature investigation extended this anomaly to nitrogen and oxygen and their (valence) isoelectronic congeners. We extend it to related cationic species and thereby the noble gases and alkali metals, and the aforementioned species are better understood. We thus ask if the ionization energy/electron affinity anomaly of fluorine remains an anomaly. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.