Probing the Orbital Energy of an Electron in an Atom

Abstract

This article answers an appeal for simple theoretical interpretations of atomic properties. A theoretical snapshot of an atom, showing the screened nuclear charge and the electron to be ionized at its radius of zero kinetic energy, enables anyone to approximate its ionization energy, I. The trends in the screened charges and in the electronic radii are exhibited for the twenty atoms from H to Ca. Values are also given for the ions He+, Be+, Mg+, Ca+, H–, F–, and Cl–. These charges and radii are used to explain the trends in ionization energies.