Atomic Radius

The atomic radius is the distance from the atomic nucleus to the outmost stable electron orbital in an atom that is at equilibrium. It is measured in picometers or angstroms. Since electrons are constantly moving, measuring the outermost energy level is difficult. As a result, the atomic radius is more accurately measured as stated in the paragraph below.

Atomic radii are called covalent radii (a reference to the types of covalent bonds formed) when referring to non-metallic elements and metallic radii when referring to metals. Technically, the atomic radius is one half of the equilibrium internuclear distance between two adjacent atoms (which may either bonded covalently or present in a closely packed crystal lattice) of an element. In simpler terms, it roughly means that the atomic radius is half the distance between the nuclei of two adjacent atoms.

A covalent radius is one-half the distance between nuclei of two of the same atoms that are bonded to each other. Covalent radii for elements whose atoms cannot bond to each another can be estimated by combining radii of those that do with the distances between unlike atoms in various molecules. A metallic radius is one-half of the closest internuclear distance in a metallic crystal.

In the periodic table, atomic radii increase down a group as new electron shells are added, and decrease left-to-right as the nuclear charge (or number of protons) is increased - an important exception are the noble gases. They do not form bonds, which means one can only measure their van der Waals radius - a case where the atom is "unsquashed".

CATEGORIES: Nanoscience