Atomic Structure Review

This set of flashcards covers key vocabulary related to atomic structure, including definitions and explanations of fundamental concepts from atomic theory.

Atomic Shells

Regions surrounding the nucleus of an atom where electrons reside, which are further divided into subshells and orbitals.

Proton

A positively charged subatomic particle found in the nucleus of an atom, with a mass approximately 1836 times that of an electron.

Electron

A negatively charged subatomic particle that orbits the nucleus, with a much smaller mass compared to protons and neutrons.

Neutron

A neutral subatomic particle found in the nucleus of an atom, with a mass slightly greater than that of a proton.

Relative Atomic Mass

The mass of an atom expressed relative to the mass of carbon-12, accounting for the abundance of its isotopes.

Atomic Number (Z)

The number of protons in the nucleus of an atom, which defines the identity of the element.

Mass Number (A)

The total number of protons and neutrons in the nucleus of an atom.

Ionization Energy

The energy required to remove the outermost electron from a neutral atom in the gaseous state.

Aufbau Principle

A rule stating that electrons occupy the lowest-energy orbitals available before filling higher energy orbitals.

Pauli Exclusion Principle

A principle stating that no two electrons can have the same set of four quantum numbers within an atom.

Hund's Rule

A rule stating that electrons will occupy degenerate orbitals singly with the same spin before pairing up.

Quantum Numbers

A set of four numbers that describe the unique state of an electron in an atom.

Emission Spectrum

The spectrum of light emitted by an atom or molecule as its electrons jump between energy levels.

Free Radical

A molecule or atom that has an unpaired electron, making it highly reactive.

Cation

A positively charged ion formed by the loss of one or more electrons.

Anion

A negatively charged ion formed by the gain of one or more electrons.

Electron Configuration

The distribution of electrons in atomic orbitals, described using quantum numbers.

Semi-Conductor

Materials with electrical conductivity between that of conductors and insulators, often used in electronic devices.

Mass Spectrometry

An analytical technique used to measure the mass-to-charge ratio of ions to determine the composition of a sample.

Stark Effect

The splitting of spectral lines of atoms in an electric field.

Zeeman Effect

The splitting of spectral lines in a magnetic field.

Degenerate Orbitals

Orbitals that have the same energy level within a subshell for a given principal quantum number.