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Is the size of an atom determined by its ionization energy?

Authors :
Russell J. Boyd
Hugo J. Bohórquez
Source :
Chemical Physics Letters. 480:127-131
Publication Year :
2009
Publisher :
Elsevier BV, 2009.

Abstract

We propose a general definition of the radius of an atom in terms of its ionization energy. A relationship between these two fundamental properties is derived from the radial distribution function and the exponential decay of the electron density. Strong correlations with well-known atomic radii lead us to conclude that we have found a universally valid definition of the atomic radius, defined exclusively in terms of an intrinsic property, the ionization energy of an atom, which is equally available from experiments and theoretical computations.

Details

ISSN :
00092614
Volume :
480
Database :
OpenAIRE
Journal :
Chemical Physics Letters
Accession number :
edsair.doi...........9a0414d698ec5605c8404fd03c9e7632