Atomic properties

Atomic properties are measurable characteristics of atoms, including their dimensions, mass, electron arrangement, energy levels, and chemical behavior.

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Atomic number: The number of protons in an atom’s nucleus, which identifies its chemical element. Proton count determines elemental identity and shapes the atom’s electron arrangement.
Chemical bonding: The interaction that holds atoms together in molecules, crystals, and other substances. Valence-electron behavior determines which bonds atoms can form.
Schrödinger equation: The fundamental equation describing how quantum states change and which energy states are allowed. Its solutions yield the allowed electron states and energies of atoms.
Bohr model: A model of the atom with electrons in quantized circular orbits around a nucleus. Its simple orbit picture contrasts with the orbital-based account of atomic structure.
Atomic mass: A measure of an atom’s mass, approximately the combined mass of its protons and neutrons. It quantifies a basic property and varies among isotopes of one element.
Ionization energy: The energy required to remove an electron from an isolated atom or ion. It measures how strongly an atom retains an electron.
Pauli exclusion principle: The rule that identical fermions cannot occupy the same quantum state simultaneously. It limits electron occupancy and helps produce the structure of the periodic table.
Quantum mechanical model of the atom: A model describing electrons in atoms using quantum states rather than definite classical paths. It accounts for atomic properties that the Bohr model cannot fully explain.
Electron configuration: The distribution of an atom’s electrons among orbitals and energy levels. Electron arrangement underlies many measured chemical and spectroscopic properties.
Electron affinity: The energy change when an electron is added to a neutral atom in the gas phase. It indicates how an atom responds energetically to gaining an electron.