Electronegativity and Free radical
Choose at least 2 terms from the list, and answer the following questions for each term:
This week, consider the following terms:
- Electronegativity
- Free radical
- Resonance
- Polar molecule
- Vector
What familiarity and prior knowledge do you have about the term?
What does the term mean in everyday language to everyday people? Use examples to help describe your thoughts. How do people use the word?
What does the term mean in technical language to chemists?
How is the term related to the course student learning outcome: Use electronic structure to describe atomic bonding?
What are the similarities and differences between the everyday and technical meanings and uses of the term?
What impact might the similarities and differences have on your learning of chemistry concepts in this course?
Sample Solution
Term 1: Electronegativity
- Familiarity: I have a strong understanding of electronegativity as a scientific concept.
- Everyday Meaning: In everyday language, electronegativity wouldn't be a familiar term. People might use terms like "tug-of-war" or "holding power" to describe how some atoms seem to attract electrons more than others when they bond.
- Technical Meaning: Electronegativity is a chemical property that describes the ability of an atom in a molecule to attract electrons towards itself in a covalent bond. A higher electronegativity value indicates a stronger attraction for electrons.
Full Answer Section
- Course Learning Outcome: Electronegativity directly relates to electronic structure because it depends on the arrangement of electrons in an atom's orbitals. Atoms with more valence electrons (outermost electrons) and higher effective nuclear charge (attraction between the nucleus and electrons) tend to have higher electronegativity.
- Similarities and Differences: There's no direct everyday equivalent to electronegativity. The "tug-of-war" analogy captures the essence of electron attraction, but it doesn't account for the specific electronic structure that influences this attraction.
- Impact on Learning: The lack of an everyday term might make electronegativity seem abstract at first. However, understanding the electron attraction concept (like the "tug-of-war") can be a stepping stone to grasping the more detailed scientific definition.
Term 2: Polar Molecule
- Familiarity: I am familiar with the concept of polar molecules.
- Everyday Meaning: An everyday term for a polar molecule might be "unevenly charged" or "has a magnetic side." This isn't entirely accurate but reflects the idea that some parts of the molecule have a slight positive or negative charge.
- Technical Meaning: A polar molecule is a molecule where the sharing of electrons in a covalent bond is unequal. This creates slightly positive and negative regions within the molecule due to differences in electronegativity between the bonded atoms.
- Course Learning Outcome: Understanding polar molecules directly relates to electronic structure because it depends on how electrons are distributed in the molecule. Unequal sharing arises from differences in electronegativity between the bonded atoms.
- Similarities and Differences: The everyday terms capture the idea of uneven charge distribution, but they don't explain the cause (electronegativity) or the specific way the molecule becomes polar.
- Impact on Learning: The everyday terms can be a starting point, but it's crucial to understand the role of electronegativity and electron distribution in creating polarity.