LIFEF002 Atomic and Electronic Structure

Flashcards covering key concepts and terms related to atomic and electronic structure, useful for reviewing important material for an upcoming exam.

Ionisation energy

The energy required to remove an electron from an atom in a gaseous state.

Electron configuration

The distribution of electrons in an atom's orbitals, represented using s, p, d, and f notation.

Bohr model

A model of atomic structure that depicts electrons in fixed orbits around the nucleus.

Successive ionisation energies

The energies required to remove electrons from an atom or ion, one at a time.

First ionisation energy

The energy required to remove one electron from each atom in one mole of gaseous atoms.

Second ionisation energy

The energy required to remove one electron from each ion in one mole of gaseous 1+ ions.

Electron shielding

The effect of inner shell electrons reducing the effective nuclear charge felt by outer shell electrons.

Nuclear charge

The total charge of the nucleus, determined by the number of protons.

Atomic radius

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

Aufbau principle

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

Hund's Rule

Each orbital in a sub-shell is filled singly before any orbital is paired.

Pauli Exclusion Principle

No two electrons in an atom can have the same set of four quantum numbers, meaning an orbital can hold a maximum of two electrons with opposite spins.

Subshell

A set of orbitals within a principal energy level, designated as s, p, d, and f.

Quantum number (n)

A number that defines the energy level of an electron in an atom.

Noble gas configurations

An abbreviated form of electron configuration that uses the electron configuration of the nearest noble gas to simplify writing.

Transition metals

Elements in the d-block of the periodic table, known for their ability to form variable oxidation states and complex ions.

Anomalies in ionisation energies

Exceptions to the expected trend in ionisation energies that occur due to electron repulsion or differing energy levels.

Orbital filling order

The sequence in which atomic orbitals are filled with electrons according to energy levels.

Electron configuration of ions

The representation of electrons in an ion, showing the gain or loss of electrons compared to the neutral atom.