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Outline the steps for calculating the effective nuclear charge of an element
Accepted Answer
The effective nuclear charge (Zeff) is the net positive charge experienced by an electron in an atom. It's calculated using the following steps:
1. Identify the atomic number (Z): This represents the number of protons in the nucleus and thus the total positive charge.
2. Determine the number of core electrons (n): These are the inner electrons that are not in the valence shell.
3. Calculate the effective nuclear charge (Zeff): Zeff = Z - n
Example: For Chlorine (Cl), with an atomic number (Z) of 17 and 10 core electrons, the effective nuclear charge is Zeff = 17 - 10 = 7.
This means that each valence electron in chlorine experiences a net positive charge of +7 from the nucleus, after taking into account the shielding effect of the core electrons.
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