Ionization energy and electron affinity
We're learning about periodic trends and they showed how IE and EA change across a period and across a group. However, I've never heard of either IE
or EA before this. What exactly are they? They've given the definitions in the book as follows:-
IE: The minimum energy required to remove the outermost electron from an isolated gaseous atom is called the ionization energy.
EA: It is the amount of energy released when an electron is added to an isolated gaseous atom.
So here are my questions:-
1)How do you just remove electrons or add electrons to an isolated gaseous atom?
2)If you add a electron, why should energy be released?
3)What releases the energy, the atom or the added electron?
4)In what form is the energy released? 
[Edited on 26-12-2012 by r15h4bh]
[Edited on 26-12-2012 by r15h4bh]
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