Effective Nuclear Charge

Definition

Effective nuclear charge refers to the net positive charge experienced by an electron in a multi-electron atom. It's not the full nuclear charge because some of this charge is shielded by other electrons in the atom.

Related terms

Shielding Effect: This refers to the decrease in attraction between an electron and the nucleus in any atom with more than one electron shell.

Atomic Radius:

This is half the distance between two nuclei of two identical atoms bonded together. It can be affected by both effective nuclear charge and shielding effect.

Ionization Energy:

This is the energy required to remove an electron from a gaseous atom or ion. It's directly related to effective nuclear charge - higher effective nuclear charges generally mean higher ionization energies.