Atom Smashers
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The atom, proton, neutron and electron.
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Professor Sylvia Ceyer focuses on the hydrogen atom, beginning with a discussion of electron binding energy to the nucleus. Other topics covered are verification of energy levels for the H atom (including photon emission, transitions between states, and photon emission) as well as the wavefunctions for an H atom. The stations state wavefunction is explained and the three quantum numbers used to describe a wave in 3D – principle quantum ...more
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Professor Sylvia Ceyer highlights the hydrogen atom wavefunctions, including orbitals and degeneracy. The shapes of an H atom orbitals are then explained, including probability density, radial probability distribution, s wavefunctions, and radial nodes. The lecture concludes with Bohr's Model and the Uncertainty Principle.
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This lecture begins by applying the united-atom "plum-pudding" view of molecular orbitals, introduced in the previous lecture, to more complex molecules. It then introduces the more utilitarian concept of localized pairwise bonding between atoms. Formulating an atom-pair molecular orbital as the sum of atomic orbitals creates an electron difference density through the cross product that enters upon squaring a sum. This "overlap" term is th...more
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This lecture brings experiment to bear on the previous theoretical discussion of bonding by focusing on hybridization of the central atom in three XH3 molecules. Because independent electron pairs must not overlap, hybridization can be related to molecular structure by a simple equation. The "Umbrella Vibration" and the associated rehybridization of the central atom is used to illustrate how a competition between strong bonds and stable at...more
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Structure of the Atom: A Conundrum. The work of E. Rutherford, 1911, lead to the discovery of the nucleus. In this lecture, Professor Sylvia Ceyer begins by explaining the backscattering experiment that lead to this key discovery in the early 20th century. She then moves on to a classical description of the atom, including coulombic interaction and the classical equation of motion (Newton's Second Law). The lecture ends with discussion ...more
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What an ion is. Using the periodic table to understand how difficult it is to ionize an atom.
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Continuing the discussion of Lewis structures and chemical forces from the previous lecture, Professor McBride introduces the double-well potential of the ozone molecule and its structural equilibrium. The inability for inverse-square force laws to account for stable arrangements of charged particles is prescribed by Earnshaw's Theorem, which may be visualized by means of lines of force. J.J. Thomson circumvented Earnshaw's prohibition on ...more
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The lecture opens with tricks ("Z-effective" and "Self Consistent Field") that allow one to correct approximately for the error in using orbitals that is due to electron repulsion. This error is hidden by naming it "correlation energy." Professor McBride introduces molecules by modifying J.J. Thomson's Plum-Pudding model of the atom to rationalize the form of molecular orbitals. There is a close analogy in form between the molecular orbita...more
