Usually, we can use the fact that the Coulombic attraction can be estimated by the effective nuclear charge (number of protons minus the number of core electrons) over the square of the radius. Q_1 and Q_2 are the magnitudes of positive and negative charges Each valence shell actually cannot harbor all 2 or 8 electrons at a time, so they are broken down into their individual subshells, where up to two electrons can harbor. Each group tells you something about an element’s chemical characteristics while each period lets you know which valence shell you are looking at, whether that be 1n, 2n, 3n etc.

Each column is a group, and each row is a period. In the periodic table, we learn about alkali metals, alkaline earth metals, transition metals, halogens, and noble gases. This makes them more important in determining how the atom reacts chemically and behaves as a conductor, because the pull of the atom's nucleus upon them is weaker and more easily broken. The electron shells are labeled K, L, M, N, O, P, and Q or 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7 going from the innermost shell outwards.Ī given element's reactivity is highly dependent upon its electronic configurationĮlectrons in outer shells have higher average energy and travel farther from the nucleus than those in inner shells. For more information, please refer to their website. This is simply a compilation of the unit into written summaries which can be used as an additional guidance for notes.

Note: All information in this unit can be found on Khan Academy’s AP Chemistry unit. In this unit, we learn about how the number of protons and electrons in an atom will affect its mass, its charge, its size, and its interactions with other atoms. In the first unit of AP Chemistry, we often learn about the periodic table, the atom, and the patterns in the periodic table.

Atomic Structure & Electron Configuration

Khan academy ap chemistry