Material Properties: Conductivity, Ionic Radius, Ionization, Affinity, and Electronegativity
Classified in Chemistry
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Electrical Conductivity
Electrical conductivity is the ability of a body to allow the passage of electric current through it. It is also defined as the natural property characteristic of each body that represents the ease with which electrons (and holes in the case of semiconductors) can pass through it. Conductivity varies with temperature and is one of the most important characteristics of materials.
Material Properties
Ionic Radius
The ionic radius, similar to the atomic radius, is the distance between the center of an atom's nucleus and its outermost stable electron. However, it specifically refers to an ion rather than an atom. It is usually measured in picometers or Angstroms. This value increases from right to left across periods and down groups in the periodic table.
Ionization Potential and Electron Affinity
Ionization Potential
The ionization potential, also known as ionization energy or EI, is the minimum energy required to remove an electron from a neutral gaseous atom in its ground state. Ionization potential is expressed in electron volts, joules per mole, or kilojoules (kJ/mol).
Electron Affinity
The electron affinity (EA) is defined as the energy released when a neutral gaseous atom in its ground state captures an electron to form a singly charged negative ion. Since energy is released, EA typically has a negative sign. If energy is absorbed, the sign is positive. Electron affinity generally increases as atomic size decreases, with increased screening effects, and decreases with increasing atomic number within a period. Viewed another way, it increases from left to right and from bottom to top in the periodic table, similar to electronegativity. This information is not always readily available in traditional periodic tables.
Electronegativity
The electronegativity measures the force of attraction an atom exerts on the electrons of another atom within a chemical bond. Different electronegativity values are classified using various scales, including the Pauling scale and the Mulliken scale.
Generally, differences in electronegativity between atoms determine the type of bonds formed in a molecule. According to the difference in electronegativity values (using the conventional Pauling scale), the bond type can be classified as follows: