ERIC Number: EJ1277157
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2020-Oct
Pages: 6
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0021-9584
EISSN: N/A
Coming to Terms with Term States
Journal of Chemical Education, v97 n10 p3652-3657 Oct 2020
In multielectron atoms or molecules, quantized electronic energy states known as term states provide a framework for interpreting absorption and emission spectra. Enumerating the term states associated with any particular electron configuration is possible using time-honored procedures, but the underpinnings of the methods do not always receive the attention they deserve. Rounding out the discussion with another approach to term states would provide added perspective. In particular, for systems involving two electrons distributing among two orbitals one can begin by identifying plausible wave functions. The states generated are few in number but noteworthy in that analogous states occur in a host of systems, including helium, titanocene, and molecular hydrogen. Parallels among the systems become evident from the forms of the wave functions.
Descriptors: Science Instruction, College Science, Chemistry, Molecular Structure, Energy, Scientific Concepts, Concept Formation
Division of Chemical Education, Inc. and ACS Publications Division of the American Chemical Society. 1155 Sixteenth Street NW, Washington, DC 20036. Tel: 800-227-5558; Tel: 202-872-4600; e-mail: eic@jce.acs.org; Web site: http://pubs.acs.org/jchemeduc
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A