CHEM 130 Chapter 2.8-2.9:
Document Summary
2. 9 polyelectronic atoms: quantum mechanical model gives a description of the hydrogen atom that agrees very well with experimental data. Schrodinger"s equation that results cannot be solved exactly because there is problems in dealing with the repulsion between the electrons > electron pathways are unknown, the electrons repulsion cannot be calculated exactly, known as electrons correlation problem. Sodium atom, has 11 electrons: single out outermost electrons and consider force electrons feels, electron also feels repulsions caused by other 10 electrons. The electron clearly is attracted to the highly charged nucleus. They have same general shapes as the orbitals for hydrogen, but their size and energies are different: difference occurs because of the interplay between nuclear attraction and the electron repulsion. Important difference between poly electronic atoms and the hydrogen atom is that for hydrogen all orbitals in a given principal quantum level have the same energy (they are said to be degenerate).
