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Summary definitions

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  • Aufbau Principle
    Guideline stating electrons fill lower energy orbitals first before occupying higher ones, crucial for writing electron configurations.
  • Condensed Electron Configuration
    Shorthand notation for electron arrangement, starting from the previous noble gas and showing only the outermost electrons.
  • Electronegativity
    Measure of an atom's ability to attract electrons in a bond, increasing across a period and up a group on the periodic table.
  • Octet Rule
    Tendency of main group elements to achieve eight electrons in their valence shell through bonding, ensuring stability.
  • Valence Electrons
    Electrons in the outermost shell of an atom, determined by group number, and involved in chemical bonding.
  • Shared Electrons
    Electrons gained by an atom through covalent bonding, contributing to the total needed for a stable configuration.
  • Formal Charge
    Calculated value used to check Lewis structures, found by subtracting bonds and nonbonding electrons from valence electrons.
  • Lewis Dot Structure
    Diagram showing valence electrons as dots around atoms, used to visualize bonding and electron arrangement in molecules.
  • Resonance Structure
    Alternative Lewis structures for a molecule, differing only in electron placement, connected by double-headed arrows.
  • Resonance Hybrid
    Composite representation averaging all major resonance structures, depicting the true electron distribution in a molecule.
  • Hybridization
    Mixing of atomic orbitals to form new orbitals for bonding, classified as sp, sp2, or sp3 based on electron groups.
  • Molecular Polarity
    Overall distribution of charge in a molecule, determined by shape and electronegativity differences, affecting reactivity.
  • Functional Group
    Specific atom arrangement in a molecule responsible for characteristic chemical reactions and properties.
  • Hydrocarbon
    Compound composed only of hydrogen and carbon atoms, classified as alkane, alkene, alkyne, or aromatic.
  • Carbonyl Group
    Functional group featuring a carbon atom double bonded to an oxygen, central to many organic compounds.