Atomic radius is defined as the distance from the nucleus to what feature?

Atomic radius is defined as the distance from the nucleus to what feature?

• A. Distance between nuclei in diatomic molecule
• B. Distance from nucleus to outer boundary of outermost orbit
• C. Size of nucleus
• D. Radius of electron cloud in p orbital

Answer: (B)

Atomic radius is a measure of the size of the atom based on how far the electron cloud extends from the nucleus. It corresponds to the distance from the nucleus to the outer boundary of the outermost electron cloud. This is not the size of the nucleus, nor the distance between two nuclei in a diatomic molecule (that distance is used to estimate a related radius in bonded atoms), and it isn’t the radius of a single orbital like a p orbital. In short, the atomic radius tracks how far the atom’s electron density reaches outward from the nucleus to the edge of the electron cloud.

Atomic radius is a measure of the size of the atom based on how far the electron cloud extends from the nucleus. It corresponds to the distance from the nucleus to the outer boundary of the outermost electron cloud. This is not the size of the nucleus, nor the distance between two nuclei in a diatomic molecule (that distance is used to estimate a related radius in bonded atoms), and it isn’t the radius of a single orbital like a p orbital. In short, the atomic radius tracks how far the atom’s electron density reaches outward from the nucleus to the edge of the electron cloud.