The shielding effect is the decrease in attraction between electrons and the nucleus in an atom due to repulsive forces between electrons. It mainly applies to valence electrons and is stronger for electrons in outer orbits. The strength of the effect can be estimated using the periodic table and affects ionization energy. Shielding is important in metals to reduce electrostatic fields in semiconductors.
The term “shielding effect” refers to a decrease in the attraction between electrons and the nucleus in an atom. Electrons are strongly attracted to the nucleus, because they have a negative charge, and the nucleus contains protons, which have a positive charge. When there are additional electrons in different orbits, the electrons repel each other slightly. This repulsive force works against the attractive force of the nucleus, decreasing the attraction between the electrons and the nucleus.
The electrons in an atom can be found in different orbits. The first orbit can hold two electrons in total. The additional orbits contain different numbers of electrons, with the outermost orbit known as the valence orbit. The electron shielding effect mainly applies to valence electrons. The electrons found in the inner orbits will shield the attractive force from the nucleus.
The positions of the electrons explain how much shielding occurs. The electrons in the first orbit, called S electrons, are the least shielded because they are closest to the nucleus. The electrons in the second orbit, the P orbit, are shielded slightly more. The electrons in the third orbit, the D orbit, are shielded more than in the P orbit. Therefore, the more electrons in an atom, the greater the distance from the nucleus and the greater the decrease in attraction.
The strength of shield effects can be estimated using the periodic table. The configurations of the items in the table provide specific periodic trends, one related to this effect. Each row in the table refers to a new level of electrons, with the bottom rows having the most levels and the top row only one level. This means that the effect is greatest on items at the bottom of the table.
A strong shielding effect will affect how easily electrons can be removed, known as the ionization energy. The electrons on the first orbit are very difficult to remove, because they have to outnumber the electrons on all other orbits. Electrons on the outer orbits are very easy to remove in chemical reactions and processes because there are no other electrons blocking the way. When an atom has one less electron than usual or one more electron, it is called an ion.
Shielding is an important chemical property and has important solid-state functions in metals. This effect is used in metals to reduce electrostatic fields in semiconductors. It also reduces the magnitude of any electric fields produced within the metal. Electric fields have a charge and a distance, and the larger the shield, the shorter the field.
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