Which electron will feel a greater attraction to the nucleus? An electron in the 3p orbital of Cl or an
electron in the 3p orbital of P. Explain why.
also this one please:
Which electron will feel a greater attraction to the nucleus? An electron in the 2p orbital of Cl, an
electron in the 3p orbital of Cl, or an electron in the 4p orbital of Br. Explain why.
Electrons in the 3p of Cl see a 17+ charge. Those in the 3p of P see a 15+. So what do you think?
The electron in the 2p of Cl is CLOSER to the nucleus than the 3p electron in Cl so the 2p electron, being much closer is more highly attracted. The 4p in Br is a shell further away so it should be the least attracted of all.
To determine which electron will feel a greater attraction to the nucleus, we need to understand the concept of effective nuclear charge.
Effective nuclear charge, denoted as Zeff, refers to the positive charge experienced by an electron in an atom. It takes into account both the actual nuclear charge (the number of protons in the nucleus) and the shielding effect of other electrons in the atom.
To calculate the effective nuclear charge, you need to consider two factors: the actual nuclear charge (Z) and the shielding effect (S).
Zeff = Z - S
Now let's compare the two elements, chlorine (Cl) and phosphorus (P), and determine which electron will feel a greater attraction to the nucleus.
Chlorine has an atomic number of 17, which means it has 17 protons in its nucleus. Phosphorus, on the other hand, has an atomic number of 15, so it has 15 protons in its nucleus.
Now let's consider the shielding effect. Electrons in the 3p orbital of Cl or P are at similar energy levels, so they will have similar shielding effects. However, since chlorine has more protons (17) compared to phosphorus (15), it also has more electrons surrounding the nucleus to provide shielding.
Based on this information, we can conclude that the electron in the 3p orbital of Cl will feel a greater attraction to the nucleus compared to the electron in the 3p orbital of P. This is because the effective nuclear charge (Zeff) for the chlorine atom will be higher than that of the phosphorus atom, leading to a stronger attraction for the electron.