Electron Structure & Periodic Properties

These flashcards cover key vocabulary and concepts related to electron structure and periodic properties in chemistry, facilitating review for exams.

Electromagnetic radiation

A form of energy that exhibits wave-like behavior as it travels through space.

Wavelength (λ)

The distance between successive peaks of a wave, typically measured in meters.

Frequency (ν)

The number of wavelengths that pass a point in a given period of time, measured in Hertz (Hz).

Amplitude

The height of the wave measured from its midpoint to its peak, related to the intensity or brightness of light.

Quantum numbers

A set of numbers that describe the properties of atomic orbitals and the electrons in those orbitals.

Ionization energy

The energy required to remove an electron from an atom or ion in its gaseous state.

Electronegativity

The tendency of an atom to attract a bonding pair of electrons.

Photoelectric effect

The phenomenon in which electrons are emitted from a material when it absorbs light, usually ultraviolet.

Standing waves

Waves that remain in a constant position; they are formed by the interference of two waves traveling in opposite directions.

Heisenberg’s Uncertainty Principle

A principle stating that the position and momentum of a particle cannot both be precisely determined at the same time.

Valence electrons

Electrons in the outermost shell of an atom that are involved in forming bonds.

Pauli Exclusion Principle

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

Electron Configuration

The distribution of electrons in an atom's orbitals.

Effective nuclear charge (Zeff)

The net positive charge experienced by an electron in a multi-electron atom, taking into account the shielding effect.

Hund’s Rule

A principle stating that electrons will fill degenerate orbitals (orbitals of the same energy) singly before pairing up.

Molecular geometry

The three-dimensional arrangement of atoms in a molecule.

Ionic bond

A chemical bond formed between two ions with opposite charges.

Covalent bond

A type of chemical bond where atoms share pairs of electrons.

Atomic radius

A measure of the size of an atom, typically the distance from the nucleus to the outermost shell of electrons.

Line spectrum

A spectrum that contains only certain wavelengths of emitted or absorbed light, characteristic of particular elements.

Lewis Dot Structure

A diagram that shows the bonding between atoms and the lone pairs of electrons in a molecule.

VSEPR Theory

A model used to predict the geometry of individual molecules based on the repulsion between electron pairs.

Resonance structures

Different Lewis structures that represent the same molecule, differing only in the arrangement of electrons.

Octet rule

A chemical rule that reflects the observation that atoms of main-group elements tend to bond in such a way that they have eight electrons in their valence shell.