At first, scientists hypothesized that the atomic structure is like that of the planet, that the electrons revolve around the nucleus, and that the rotation process is that the charge is moving at an accelerated pace, which will inevitably release electromagnetic waves and thus continuously lose energy. If the electron continuously emits electromagnetic waves and loses energy, it will eventually fall into the nucleus along a spiral trajectory. However, the fact that the atomic system is quite stable indicates that the electrons did not fall into the nucleus. Also, if the orbit of the electron is continuously changing, the frequency of the photon emitted should also be continuously changing. However, when people observe the atomic spectrum, it is found that the atomic spectrum is often several independent spectral lines, which indicates that the stable orbit of electrons in the atom is not continuous. For these reasons, the planetary model of the atom has been called into question.
With the rapid development of computer technology, physicists have been able to use computers to model the internal structure of atoms and explore the distribution of electrons in atoms. Through precise analysis, scientists have found that the distribution of electrons in atoms is not uniform, but shows a special law. The closer you are to the region of the nucleus, the more electrons there are, and they grow very quickly. The reason behind this is actually quite simple, that is, the closer the electrons are to the nucleus, the stronger the positive charge attraction.
This uneven distribution of electrons makes people wonder if it is possible for electrons to fall into the nucleus. Some scientists have proposed that since the kinetic energy of electrons increases as they approach the nucleus, while their potential energy decreases, this may cause the electrons to eventually fall into the nucleus. This view, although not yet widely accepted, undoubtedly provides a new perspective on the structure of atoms and the behavior of electrons.
This discovery not only reveals the mystery of the internal structure of the atom, but also gives us a deeper understanding of the behavior of electrons in the atom. These research results are of great significance for understanding the nature and properties of matter, and also provide new ideas and directions for future scientific research and technological innovation.
However, physicists have found that although the kinetic energy of electrons is increasing, their potential energy is decreasing. The increased kinetic energy is directed towards the nucleus, but no centrifugal force is formed to keep the electrons moving closer to the nucleus. This is because there is a short-range force that prevents the electrons from moving closer to the nucleus, so that the long-range electromagnetic force appears to be canceled out in this range. This short-range force may be caused by the interaction between electrons or by a special interaction between electrons and the nucleus.
Quarks are the only known particles that can withstand all four interactions of modern physics, namely elementary particles with electromagnetism, gravity, strong interactions, and weak interactions. In addition, quarks are the only particles with a non-integer elementary charge. Protons are made up of two upper quarks and one lower quark, and neutrons are made up of two lower quarks and one upper quark.
The hydrogen atom is the simplest atom with only one electron in the outer shell, its nucleus is a proton, and the diameter of the hydrogen atom is 45 10-15 m, proton radius 17 10-15 m, electronic radius 28 10-15 meters, then the proton composed of two upper quarks and one lower quark can not only attract the outer electrons, but also prevent the electrons from falling towards the nucleus. What acts on the nucleus is the strong interaction force, the force range of the strong interaction force is shorter, when the distance between the nuclei is less than 2 10-15m, the strong force starts to take effect, which manifests itself as a huge repulsive force. But when the two get closer, it reaches 0After 8 10-15m, the strong force will be converted into attraction. This attraction can hold together the various structures inside the nucleus.
From this point of view, is it a coincidence that the force that prevents electrons from falling into the nucleus is a strong interaction force, and the radius of the hydrogen atom and the radius of the electron and proton coincide with the repulsion range of the strong interaction force. This force that stops electrons from falling into the nucleus is indeed a strong interaction force. It is no coincidence that the radius of the hydrogen atom and the radius of electrons and protons fit within the repulsion range of the strong interaction force, but a manifestation of the laws of physics.
The strong interaction force is the strongest of the four fundamental interactions, and it acts very strongly inside the nucleus to bind protons and neutrons together. It is precisely because of the existence of strong interaction forces that the nucleus can exist stably and release energy.
In protons and neutrons, the interaction between quarks is achieved by strong interaction forces. The strong interaction forces between the upper and lower quarks hold them together tightly and form the basic structure of protons and neutrons.
In summary, this force that prevents electrons from falling into the nucleus is a strong interaction force, which is generated by the interaction between quarks and is one of the important reasons for the stable existence of the nucleus.
However, there are three laws of electron arrangement outside the atom, and we can infer the arrangement of electrons outside the nucleus. First of all, electrons are always preferentially distributed in the lowest energy electron shell, which ensures the stability of the entire atom. Secondly, the maximum number of electrons that can be accommodated in each electron shell is determined by the law 2n 2, where n represents the number of electron layers. The electron shell closest to the nucleus, also known as the innermost shell, has a limited capacity to hold electrons, at most 2 electrons. This is because in this electron shell, the repulsive action between the electrons is very strong, resulting in the formation of only two stable electron distributions in this small distance space to maintain the equilibrium of the electric field force.
To understand this phenomenon, we need to go deep into the interactions between electrons. Electrons are negatively charged particles that move at high speed in the electron layer around the nucleus. Since the same kind of charges repel each other, when two electrons are too close together, the repulsion between them becomes very large, making it difficult to accommodate a third electron in this space.
In the innermost electron shell, only two stable electron distribution states can be formed in such a small space to balance the electric field force due to the stronger repulsive force between the electrons. This is the reason why the electron shell closest to the nucleus can only hold a maximum of 2 electrons.
Finally, the maximum number of electrons in the outermost shell, the number of electrons in the second outer shell, and the number of electrons in the penultimate third shell cannot exceed 8, 18, and 32, respectively.
In the question of why the outermost shell can only hold a maximum of 8 electrons, we have to go deep into the essence of atomic structure. The force of the electric field in three-dimensional space is a key factor in shaping the structure of atoms, and the best way to balance this is to distribute electrons evenly on the surface of the sphere. Imagine dewdrops, which form the perfect sphere because this minimizes surface tension. Similarly, the distribution of electrons in the outermost shell of the atom is to achieve the equilibrium of the electric field forces and ensure the stability of the system.
The trajectory of electrons in an atom is very complex, but for the sake of simplification, we can think of it as a spherical model. In this model, electrons move around the nucleus, and their distribution is affected by the electric field force. For these electrons to be optimally equilibrized, they must be evenly spaced across the surface of the sphere. It's like joining a cube inside a sphere, and the eight corners of the cube correspond exactly to the eight possible positions of electrons, so that each electron can exist in an optimal electric field force equilibrium.
This uniform distribution of electrons not only helps to achieve an optimal balance of electric field forces, but also ensures the stability of the atomic structure. The number and distribution of electrons have a decisive influence on the chemical properties of atoms, so the outermost structure that can only hold 8 electrons is the result of natural selection and the self-adjustment and optimization of the atomic system.
This phenomenon is of great significance in the fields of physics and chemistry. It not only determines the basic structure of the atom, but also plays a vital role in understanding the periodic table, the formation of chemical bonds, and the stability of molecules. It is because of this limitation that we are able to better understand the nature and behavior of matter and thus further explore and exploit the mysteries of the natural world.
After understanding these laws, we can further ** the laws of electron configuration outside the nucleus. Based on these laws, we can draw some important conclusions. For example, the chemical properties of an element are mainly determined by the number of electrons in its outermost shell, as the number of electrons in the outermost shell is a key factor in determining the chemical properties of an element. At the same time, the number of electrons in the secondary outer shell also has a certain influence on the chemical properties of the element.
In addition to chemical properties, the arrangement of electrons outside the nucleus is also related to other properties. For example, the size of the radius of an atom is related to the number of electrons in the electrons and the number of electrons in the outermost shell, the more electrons in the shell and the fewer the number of electrons in the outermost shell, the larger the radius. In addition, the ionization energy of an atom is also related to the number of electrons in the electron shell and the number of electrons in the outermost shell, the more electrons in the layer and the lower the number of electrons in the outermost shell, the smaller the ionization energy.
In short, the arrangement of electrons outside the nucleus is one of the most important knowledge points in the field of chemistry. Through an in-depth understanding of these laws, we can better understand the chemical properties and other related properties of elements, and lay a solid foundation for future study and research.