1. Atomic Structure Flashcards
What holds an atom together?
The electrostatic attraction between the positive nucleus and negatively charged electrons orbiting around
Explain what is meant by “ground state”
The most stable electronic configuration of an atom which has the lowest amount of energy
How does the size of the nucleus affect first ionization energy?
The nuclear charge increases with increasing atomic number, which means that there are greater attractive forces between the nucleus and electrons, so more energy is required to overcome these attractive forces when removing an electron.
How does the distance of outer electrons from the nucleus affect the size of the first ionization energy?
Electrons in shells that are further away from the nucleus are less attracted to the nucleus- the nucleus attraction is weaker- so the further the outer electron shell is from the nucleus, the lower the ionizations energy.
How does the shielding effect of inner electrons affect the size of the first ionization energy?
The shielding effect is when the electrons in full inner shells repel electrons in outer shells, preventing them from feeling the full nuclear charge, so the more shells an atom has, the greater the shielding effect, and the lower the ionization energy
How does spin-pair repulsion affect the first ionization energy?
Electrons in the same atomic orbital in a subshell repel each other more than electrons in different atomic orbitals which makes it easier to remove an electron- which is why the first ionization energy is always the lowest.
Why is there a huge difference between some successive ionization energies?
They indicate that for the second of the two ionization energies the electron is being removed from a new electron shell that is much closer to the nucleus and more tightly bound
