Electron Configurations & the Properties of Atoms

These flashcards cover key concepts related to electron configurations, properties of atoms, and important principles of quantum mechanics relevant to the course.

Electron Spin Quantum Number (ms)

Represents the two possible orientations of an electron's spin, +1/2 or -1/2.

Aufbau Principle

Electrons fill the lowest energy orbitals before filling higher energy orbitals.

Pauli’s Exclusion Principle

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

Hund's Rule

Every orbital in a subshell is singly occupied with one electron before any orbital is doubly occupied.

Core Electrons

Electrons in completely filled shells.

Valence Electrons

Electrons in the outermost occupied shell that are involved in chemical bonding.

Isoelectronic Ions

Ions that have the same electron configuration.

Paramagnetic

Materials with unpaired electrons that are attracted to a magnetic field.

Diamagnetic

Materials with all electrons spin paired, resulting in no net magnetic field.

Ionization Energy (IE)

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

Effective Nuclear Charge (Z*)

The net positive charge experienced by valence electrons; calculated as Z (atomic number) minus the number of core electrons.

Atomic Radius

The size of an atom, typically measured as the distance between nuclei of two atoms of the same element when bonded.

Cation

A positively charged ion formed by the loss of electrons.

Anion

A negatively charged ion formed by the gain of electrons.

Electron Configuration

A notation that outlines the distribution of electrons among the orbitals of an atom.

Transition Metal Cation

Cations formed from transition metals which typically lose their outermost s orbital electrons before d orbital electrons.