Chapter 3 Periodic Properties of the Elements

These flashcards cover essential vocabulary related to the periodic properties of elements, electron configurations, and related concepts important for understanding atomic behavior.

Electron Configuration

A description of the orbitals occupied by electrons in an atom.

Valence Electrons

The electrons in the highest principal energy shell that participate in bonding.

Core Electrons

Electrons in lower energy shells that are not involved in bonding.

Effective Nuclear Charge (Zeff)

The net positive charge experienced by an electron in a multi-electron atom.

Electron Affinity (EA)

The energy associated with the addition of an electron to an atom.

Ionization Energy (IE)

The minimum energy required to remove an electron from an atom or ion.

Paramagnetism

The property of a substance that is attracted to a magnetic field due to unpaired electrons.

Diamagnetism

The property of a substance that is slightly repelled by a magnetic field due to all electrons being paired.

Periodic Law

The law that states elements exhibit periodic patterns in properties when arranged by atomic number.

Aufbau Principle

The rule that electrons occupy the lowest energy orbitals available.

Pauli Exclusion Principle

No two electrons in an atom can have the same set of four quantum numbers.

Hund’s Rule

When filling degenerate orbitals, electrons occupy them singly with parallel spins before pairing.

Atomic Radius

The distance from the nucleus of an atom to the outermost electron shell.

Electronegativity

The tendency of an atom to attract electrons when forming a bond.

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.