define effective nuclear charge
Answers
The effective nuclear charge (often symbolized as {\displaystyle Z_{\mathrm {eff} }} Z_{\mathrm{eff}} or {\displaystyle Z^{\ast }} Z^\ast) is the net positive charge experienced by an electron in a polyelectronic atom. The term "effective" is used because the shielding effect of negatively charged electrons prevent higher orbital electrons from experiencing the full nuclear charge of the nucleus due to the repelling effect of inner-layer electrons. The effective nuclear charge experienced by the electron is also called the core charge. It is possible to determine the strength of the nuclear charge by the oxidation number of the atom. Most of the physical and chemical properties of the elements can be explained on the basis of electronic configuration. Consider the behavior of ionization energies in the periodic table. It is known that the magnitude of ionization potential depends upon the following factors:
Effective nuclear charge diagram
(a) Size of atom;
(b) The nuclear charge;
(c) The screening effect of the inner shells, and;
(d) The extent to which the outermost electron penetrates into the charge cloud set up by the inner lying electron.