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2: Electronic Structure and Periodic Properties

  • Page ID
    574020
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    • 2.1: Introduction
      This chapter discusses fundamental aspects of quantum theory and atomic structure, including electromagnetic energy, the Bohr model, orbitals, quantum numbers and electron configurations. It explains periodic trends in elemental properties and the periodic table's structure, along with ionic and molecular compounds.
    • 2.2: Electromagnetic Energy
      Light and other forms of electromagnetic radiation move through a vacuum with a constant speed, c. This radiation shows wavelike behavior, which can be characterized by a frequency, ν, and a wavelength, λ, such that c = λν. Light is an example of a travelling wave. Other important wave phenomena include standing waves, periodic oscillations, and vibrations. Standing waves exhibit quantization, since their wavelengths are limited to discrete integer multiples of some characteristic lengths.
    • 2.3: The Bohr Model
      Bohr incorporated Planck’s and Einstein’s quantization ideas into a model of the hydrogen atom that resolved the paradox of atom stability and discrete spectra. The Bohr model of the hydrogen atom explains the connection between the quantization of photons and the quantized emission from atoms. Bohr described the hydrogen atom in terms of an electron moving in a circular orbit about a nucleus. He postulated that the electron was restricted to certain orbits characterized by discrete energies.
    • 2.4: Development of Quantum Theory
      Macroscopic objects act as particles. Microscopic objects (such as electrons) have properties of both a particle and a wave. but their exact trajectories cannot be determined. The quantum mechanical model of atoms describes the 3D position of the electron in a probabilistic manner according to a mathematical function called a wavefunction, often denoted as ψ. The squared magnitude of the wavefunction describes the distribution of the probability of finding the electron in a particular region.
    • 2.5: Electronic Structure of Atoms (Electron Configurations)
      The relative energy of the subshells determine the order in which atomic orbitals are filled. Electron configurations and orbital diagrams can be determined by applying the Pauli exclusion principle (no two electrons can have the same set of four quantum numbers) and Hund’s rule (whenever possible, electrons retain unpaired spins in degenerate orbitals). Electrons in the outermost orbitals, called valence electrons, are responsible for most of the chemical behavior of elements.
    • 2.6: Periodic Variations in Element Properties
      Electron configurations allow us to understand many periodic trends. Covalent radius increases as we move down a group because the n level (orbital size) increases. Covalent radius mostly decreases as we move left to right across a period because the effective nuclear charge experienced by the electrons increases, and the electrons are pulled in tighter to the nucleus. Anionic radii are larger than the parent atom, while cationic radii are smaller.
    • 2.7: The Periodic Table
      This page examines the periodic law, highlighting how element properties vary with atomic numbers and detailing the structure of the periodic table, including classifications of metals, nonmetals, and metalloids. It credits chemists like Mendeleev and Meyer for their contributions and emphasizes the importance of group similarities in practical applications, such as medicine.
    • 2.8: Ionic and Molecular Compounds
      This page provides an overview of ionic and molecular compounds, detailing their formation and characteristics based on electron transfer and sharing. It discusses the prediction of ion formation from periodic table positions, the nature of cations and anions, and the role of polyatomic ions. Key properties of ionic compounds, including their high melting points and electrical neutrality, are highlighted, alongside nomenclature rules.
    • 2.9: Key Terms
    • 2.10: Key Equations
    • 2.11: Summary
    • 2.12: Exercises


    This page titled 2: Electronic Structure and Periodic Properties was last modified on Sun, 19 Jul 2026 19:54:09 GMT and is shared under a CC BY 4.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by Brooke Johnson.

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