Multiple Choice
Which of the following statements is NOT true about electron configurations?
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10. Periodic Properties of the Elements
The Electron Configuration
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Why do chemists use the electron cloud or charge density model to describe electrons in atoms?
A
Because the electron cloud model shows that electrons have a definite path like planets around the sun.
B
Because electrons are stationary and do not move within atoms.
C
Because electrons always move in fixed circular orbits around the nucleus.
D
Because the exact position and momentum of an electron cannot be simultaneously known, so probability distributions are used.
Verified step by step guidance1
Understand that early atomic models, like the Bohr model, depicted electrons as moving in fixed, circular orbits around the nucleus, similar to planets orbiting the sun.
Recognize that experiments and quantum mechanics revealed that electrons do not have precise, fixed paths; instead, their exact position and momentum cannot be simultaneously determined (Heisenberg's Uncertainty Principle).
Learn that because of this uncertainty, chemists use a probabilistic approach to describe where electrons are likely to be found around the nucleus rather than exact orbits.
The electron cloud or charge density model represents regions in space where there is a high probability of finding an electron, visualized as a 'cloud' with varying density.
This model better reflects the true behavior of electrons in atoms and helps explain chemical bonding and atomic properties more accurately than fixed orbit models.
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