Shielding effect
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The shielding effect or screening effect is a reduction in effective nuclear charge on an electron that is caused by the repulsive forces of other electrons between it and the nucleus.
In an atom with one electron, that electron experiences the full charge of the positive nucleus. However, in an atom with many electrons, the outer electrons are simultaneously attracted to the positive nucleus and repelled by the negatively charged electrons. The effective nuclear charge on such an electron is given by the following equation:
Zeff = Z - S
Where Z is the number of protons in the nucleus and S is the average number of electrons between the nucleus and the electron in question.
Resources
- Brown, Theodore; LeMay, H.E.; & Bursten, Bruce (2002). Chemistry: The Central Science (8th revised edition). Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458: Prentice-Hall. ISBN 0-13-061142-5.