Periodic Trends and Atomic Structure

Vocabulary flashcards covering periodic trends, effective nuclear charge, magnetic properties, and ionic radii.

Van der Waals radius

The nonbonding radius of an atom.

Covalent radius

The bonding radius of an atom, representing half the distance between two bonded nuclei.

Atomic radius

The average radius of an atom based on large numbers of compounds, which is smaller than its van der Waals radius.

Effective nuclear charge ($Z_{\text{eff}}$)

The net positive charge attracting a particular electron, approximated by $Z_{\text{eff}} \approx Z - S$, where $Z$ is nuclear charge and $S$ is the number of core electrons.

Ionization energy (IE)

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

Isoelectronic

Having the exact same electron configuration across different atoms or ions.

Paramagnetism

The property of an atom or ion containing unpaired electrons, causing it to be attracted to a magnetic field and align parallel with it.

Diamagnetism

The property of an atom or ion in which all electrons are paired, causing it to be very slightly repelled by a magnetic field.

Ferromagnetic

The property of a material in which dipoles from unpaired electrons align even in the absence of an external magnetic field.

Cationic radius

The radius of a positively charged ion, which is significantly smaller than the radius of its neutral parent atom.

Anionic radius

The radius of a negatively charged ion, which is significantly larger than the radius of its neutral parent atom.