ELECTRON DENSITY MAPS

- Electrons have a wave nature and therefore spread around the nucleus like a cloud
- The spread of the electron around the nucleus is referred to as an electron spread
- The map showing how the electron cloud is distributed is referred to as an electron
density map
- The region where there is the greatest probability of finding an electron is an orbital
- The first shell of any atom has only one orbital (1s). Since the maximum number of
electrons that an orbital can accommodate is 2, the first shell of any atom can
accommodate a maximum of 2 electrons.
- The electron cloud of an s orbital is a sphere around the nucleus
- The second shell of atoms have 2 subshells, namely s and p.
- The s subshell in the second subshell is 2s, and has a spherical orbital whose radius is
much greater than that of 1s. Its electron map is as shown below.

- The P subshell has 3 orbitals which are dumbbell shaped.

- It looks like 2 pears joined together with a node at the center.

- This node concedes with the pattern of the nucleus.
- Within the p subshell, they are perpendicular to each other at 90  along the x, y, and z
planes.
- The three orbitals are therefore oriented as shown below:

- The principal quantum number (n) denoted the shell

- 2p<3p<4p – increase in size
Similarly
1s <2s<3s – increase in size
- A d orbital is a double dumbbell and are oriented as shown below:
TRENDS ACROSS PERIODIC TABLE
ATOMIC RADIUS:
It decreases as you go across the period. This is
because the nuclear charge progressively
increases across the period, yet the shells are the
same.
As you go across a period, successive elements
have the number of protons in the nucleus
increasing by 1. This makes the nuclear charge to
increase and hence increases the electrostatic
force of attraction between the nucleus and the
electrons in the outermost shell which increases
the pulling of the shells closer to the nucleus.

MELTING TEMP.:
The melting temperature of elements from group
1-4 tends to increase as you go across the period.
The metals have high melting temperatures due
to their strong metallic bonds. As you go across
the period, there is a general increase in melting
temperature from group 1-3 of the metals due to an increase in nuclear charge, which
makes the metallic bond stronger as the metalloids at the center of the period (group 4)
have extremely high melting temperatures due to their very strong covalent bonds that
exist between the atoms in the giant atomic structure.

However, beyond the metalloids, there is a very significant decrease in melting temperature
as simple molecular structures in the p block. The size of electron cloud influences melting
temperature of simple molecular structures. For example, in period 3, Sulfur, whose
molecules have 8 atoms (s8), has a higher melting temperature than phosphorus, which
exists as p4. This is because sulfur has a larger electron cloud than phosphorus, hence
experiences stronger Vander Wal forces that require more energy to overcome.
Chlorine which is a diatomic has a much smaller electron cloud than both s8 and p4. Argon,
which is monoatomic has the smallest number of electrons (18e) as compared to chlorine,
P4, S8. Therefore, if smaller electron cloud leads to weaker Vander Waal forces as compared
to others, hence argon has the lowest melting point in the period.
1ST
IONIZATION ENERGY:
Generally, 1IE increases across the period due to the increasing nuclear charge, yet no shells
remain the same. It shows periodicity, the pattern shown from Li-Ne is exactly repeated
from the element Sodium-Argon. Apart from the insertion of d-block elements, this pattern
of variation is again observed from K-Kr.