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Can You Describe Atomic Radius?

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Sajid Majeed Profile
Sajid Majeed answered
Atoms are so small that it is impossible to see an atom even with a powerful optical microscope. The size of a single atom, therefore, cannot be directly measured. However, techniques have been developed which can measure the distance between the centers of two adjacent atoms of any element. Half of this distance is considered to be the radius of the atom. In the periodic Table, the atomic radius increases from top to bottom within a group due to increase in atomic number. This is because of the addition of an extra shell of electron in each period. In a period, however, as the atomic number increases from left to right the atomic radius decreases. This gradual decrease in the radius is due to increase in the positive charge in the nucleus. As the positive nuclear charge increases, the negatively charged electrons in the shells are pulled closer to the nucleus. Thus the size of the outermost shell becomes gradually smaller. This effect is quite remarkable in the elements of longer periods in which "d" and "f" subshells are involved. For Example, the gradual reduction in the size of Lanthanides is significant and called Lanthanide Contraction. It is all about atomic radius.
Anonymous Profile
Anonymous answered
Atomic radius is basically the electrons (-) because it determines the electric force in which is radius for the atom.because atoms are so small there is no exact radius only predictions !
Syed Asim Profile
Syed Asim answered
An atom is the smallest single entity of mater. It is the entity which is used as the building block of all materialistic bodies. There are some other parts of an atom. These include electron, protons, and neutrons etc. Each and every atom has a nucleus which is situated in the centre of the atom and all around the nucleus there are orbits into which the electrons are continuously rotating. The radius of an atom could not be measured directly like we measure the radius of any sphere.
The radius of an atom could be measured if we have two similar atoms, and the distance between the centres of their nuclei is measured, then dividing that distance by two we get the value of the radius of an atom. Theoretically speaking the radius is the distance between the centre of nucleus of the atom and its outer most shell. However the electrons do not necessarily stay in any one orbit and they keep jumping depending upon their energy levels. It is not possible to define any one particular orbit as the outer most orbit of an atom. One factor affecting the radius of an atom is the charge on the nucleus of the atom higher the charge is, higher will be the pull by the nucleus on the electrons in the outer most shell and hence lower will be the radius.

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