Electromagnetic Radiation and Atomic Structure

Flashcards covering key vocabulary related to electromagnetic radiation, wave properties, atomic structure, electron configuration, and periodic trends based on the lecture notes.

Electromagnetic Radiation (EMR)

The transmission of energy through waves.

Electromagnetic Spectrum

Consists of gamma rays, x-rays, ultraviolet, visible, infrared, microwaves, and radio waves.

Wavelength (λ)

The distance between identical points on successive waves.

Frequency

The number of waves that travel through a particular point in one second.

Amplitude

The vertical distance from the midline of a wave to the top of the peak or the bottom of the trough.

Speed of Light (c)

The speed of light in a vacuum, where speed, frequency, and wavelength are related by c = wavelength × frequency.

Hertz (Hz)

Unit for frequency, corresponding to reciprocal seconds.

Photon

A packet of energy with both particle and wave function that travels at the speed of light.

Atomic Spectrum

A pattern of colored lines emitted when light from a heated element passes through a prism.

Continuous Spectrum

The type of spectrum emitted by white light, showing no individual lines.

Quantized Energy Levels

The concept that electrons of an atom can only have certain allowed energies, existing in fixed energy levels around the nucleus.

Ground State

The lowest possible energy state for an electron.

Orbit (Bohr Model)

What Bohr called the fixed energy levels that electrons exist in around the nucleus.

Excited State

A higher energy orbit an electron moves to after absorbing energy.

Atomic Orbital

A region in space with a high probability of finding an electron.

Principal Energy Level (Shells)

Specific regions of space that electrons are confined to, numbered n=1, 2, 3… (n increases further from the nucleus).

Subshells

Divisions within principal energy levels, designated by the letters s, p, d, and f.

Pauli Exclusion Principle

States that each orbital can hold a maximum of two electrons, which must spin in opposite directions.

Electron Spin

A property of electrons generating a magnetic field, requiring two electrons in the same orbital to spin in opposite directions to cancel their magnetic field.

Orbital Diagrams

Visual representations used to show the arrangement of electrons for an atom of a given element, using arrows for electrons in boxes/lines for orbitals.

Aufbau Principle

States that electrons fill subshells in order of increasing energy for an atom in the ground state, starting with the lowest energy subshells.

Hund's Rule

States that the lowest energy state is achieved when a single electron is placed in each orbital of a sublevel first, with the same spin, before a second electron of opposite spin is added to any orbital.

Electron Configuration

A notation used to express the arrangement of electrons around the nucleus.

Noble Gas Electron Configuration (Abbreviated Electron Configuration)

A shorthand method of writing electron configurations using the symbol of the preceding noble gas core enclosed in brackets.

Valence Electrons

The outermost electrons, those in the highest energy level, which are involved in chemical bonding.

Atomic Size

The size of an atom, determined by the size of its outermost electron orbital (increases down a group, decreases across a period).

Ionization Energy

The energy required to remove the most loosely held outermost electron from an atom in its gaseous phase (decreases down a group, increases across a period).

Metallic Character

A property of elements that lose electrons easily (increases down a group, decreases across a period).