CHEMISTRY COMMUNITY

Can someone explain what effective nuclear charge means?

Effective nuclear charge is the net nuclear charge after taking into account the shielding caused by other electrons in the atom.

The effective nuclear charge is the net charge an electron experiences in an atom with multiple electrons. Depending on the spins and the placement of electrons, the effective nuclear charge is often less than the actual nuclear charge.

Think of effective nuclear charge as a ‘net charge’ of the valence electrons. It is the charge of the valence electrons after the shielding electrons are accounted for.

The effective nuclear charge is the net charge of the protons in the nucleus after taking into account the electron shielding. If you take away some of the electrons, the amount of electron shielding will decrease and the higher your effective nuclear charge will be.

Effective nuclear charge describes the attraction between an atoms nucleus and an average electron in some shell, n. The effective nuclear charge is equal to the number of protons in the atom's nucleus minus the number of electrons in between the nucleus of the atom and a specified shell of electrons. These electrons between the nucleus and the shell of electrons in question are referred to as shielding electrons. Shielding electrons diminish the ability of the nucleus to attract electrons further away since they repel these same electrons.

Effective nuclear charge is whether the charge of the proton is positive or negative.