Question

Your supervisor asks you to determine the effective nuclear charge experienced by the electrons in the atoms of the sample in the following orbitals:

a) 1s, 2p
b) 3d, 4s
c) 2s, 3p
d) 4d, 5s

Answer 1

The concept in question is the effective nuclear charge, which describes the net positive charge experienced by an electron in a multi-electron atom, influenced by factors such as shielding, orbital penetration, and filling order of atomic orbitals.

Step-by-step explanation:

The question revolves around the concept of effective nuclear charge (Zeff) experienced by electrons in various atomic orbitals. The effective nuclear charge is the net positive charge experienced by an electron in a multi-electron atom.

This charge is not the full nuclear charge because of the shielding effect caused by inner-shell electrons. The Zeff for an electron in any orbital (like 1s, 2p, 3d, 4s, etc.) is less than the actual nuclear charge due to shielding and is calculated based on the nuclear charge (Z) and the screening constant (S), using Slater's rules.

For orbitals a) 1s, 2p b) 3d, 4s c) 2s, 3p d) 4d, 5s, we consider principles like orbital penetration and the filling order of atomic orbitals (based on quantum numbers n and l) to understand how the effective charge affects the energy levels.

The trend shows that for smaller orbitals (n up to 3), the effective charge is more significantly influenced by the principal quantum number than the azimuthal quantum number. As orbitals get larger, the impact of n and l becomes comparable.