Journal of Quantum Information Science, 2011, 1, 135-141 135 doi:10.4236/jqis.2011.13019 Published Online December 2011 (http://www.SciRP.org/journal/jqis) The Electronegativity and the Global Hardness Are Periodic Properties of Atoms Nazmul Islam, Dulal C. Ghosh Department of Chemistry, University of Kalyani, Kalyani, India E-mail: [email protected], [email protected] Received July 20, 2011; revised November 8, 2011; accepted November 22, 2011 Abstract The electronegativity and the hardness are two popular and useful theoretical descriptors of chemistry and physics successfully used by both chemists and physicists in correlating chemico-physical properties of at- oms, molecules and condensed matter physics. We have tried to explore the fundamental nature of the hard- ness and electronegativity of atoms and have observed that their fundamental nature is basically lying in electrostatics and manifest as the electron attracting power emanating from the nucleus of the atom. We have tried to correlate the periodic nature of variation of the electronegativity and the hardness to the electron at- tracting power of the nucleus from which they are originated and developed. We have developed the formu- lae for evaluating both electronegativity and hardness and found that they have the direct correlation with the effective nuclear charge of the atoms and hence their periodicity. Keywords: Effective Nuclear Charge, Electronegativity, Hardness, Chemical Periodicity 1. Introduction cal and physical behaviour of elements. The concept of shell structure and Pauli Exclusion Principle justifies The terms electronegativity and chemical hardness are in chemical periodicity [7] of elements. the glossary of chemistry and the students are taught that, It is important to mention here some outstanding fun- along with other periodic properties, both the electro- damental works of Putz and his coworkers [8-13] on negativity and the global hardness of atoms are periodic electronegativity and hardness and their usefulness for in nature. Although the rationale of the periodic nature of the theoretical prediction of several physicochemical electronegativity can be linked to the internal constitu- properties-like the fundamentals of chemical bonding. It tion of atoms, the periodicity of the hardness of atoms is is shown that the aromaticity of peripheral topological not that straight forward. In this report we want to ex- path may be well described by superior finite difference plore simple algorithms that will justify the periodic na- schemes of electronegativity and chemical hardness in- ture of both electronegativity and hardness of atoms. The dices in certain calibrating conditions. electronegativity and chemical hardness are two different Although there are reports [14,15] that the electro- fundamental descriptors having different fields of appli- negativity and hardness are periodic, no rationale has cations. Notwithstanding the erudite discussion of Putz been put forward justifying their periodicity. We are after [1] on the problem of observability of the electronegativ- the quest for the origin and development of these two ity and chemical hardness, the hardness and the electro- descriptors with an intention to correlate and justify their negativity are fundamentally hypothesis and conceptual periodic nature. We strongly guess that the global hard- structures and are not physical observables and, therefore, ness and electronegativity originate and develop from the cannot be evaluated experimentally [2-6]. same fundamental source within the constitution of at- Thus, both electronegativity and chemical hardness are oms and their periodic nature would be straightforward qualitative mental constructs and one can suggest or model in this rationale. their semi empirical evaluation only. Although the periodic table does not follow from quan- 2. The Definition of Electronegativity tum mechanics, the periodic law is an indispensable tool in understanding, rationalizing and correlating the chemi- The attempt of scientific definition and measurement of Copyright © 2011 SciRes. JQIS 136 N. ISLAM ET AL. electronegativity was started with the seminal work of [3] suggested that the electronegativity of an atom is Pauling [16,17] who suggested for the first time a scien- equal to the electrostatic potential felt by one of its va- tific definition of electronegativity as “the power of an lence electrons at a radial distance equal to its absolute atom in a molecule to attract electrons toward itself”. radius or most probable radius. Justifiably, such potential Though the electronegativity has been defined in many is created by the conjoint action of the nucleus and the different ways after Pauling, the most logically it has remaining electrons in the atom. been identified as electrostatic force or energy [2-6,18-20] Ghosh and Chakraborty [3] argued that the electro- —with which an atom holds the valence electrons. In this negativity, χ, is no equal but proportional to the ratio of model, electronegativity has the origin in the electrostatic effective nuclear charge, Zeff and absolute radius or most field and interaction within the volume of the atom. Thus, probable radius, r of the atoms and proposed the electro- in the electrostatic model, electronegativity has its origin negativity equation as follows: in the attraction (or influence) of the nucleus on the va- Z lence electrons or the electron cloud of the atom. For that aeff b (1) reason, to assign the electronegativity value of any sys- r tem, we have to suggest a model relying upon its funda- where “a” and “b” are the constants to be determined by mental nature—the holding power of the electron cloud least square fitting and these are different for different by the chemical species for its measurement. periods. Because our prime motive is to rationalize the perio- We have plotted the electronegativity values of Ghosh dicity of electronegativity, we lay emphasis on such and Chakraborty [3] as a function of their atomic number scales of measurement that are based upon electrostatic in Figure 1 to demonstrate the periodic behaviour of the concept and periodicity can be easily included and justi- atoms of the 103 elements of the periodic table. fied. In 1946, the direct relation between electronegative- ity and the effective nuclear charge was suggested by 3. The Definition of Hardness Gordy [20]. Recently, Ghosh and Chakraborty [3] modi- fied Gordy’s electrostatic scale of electronegativity. They It is apparent that the hardness fundamentally signifies Figure 1. Plot of the electronegativity (eV) values of 103 elements of the periodic table as a function of their atomic number. Copyright © 2011 SciRes. JQIS N. ISLAM ET AL. 137 the resistance towards the deformation or polarization of ing global hardness by finite difference approximation the electron cloud of the atoms, ions or molecules under method of Parr and Pearson [22]. Moreover, since hard- small perturbation of chemical response. Thus, the hard- ness is not an observable, the possibility of its quantum ness as conceived in chemistry signifies the resistance mechanical evaluation is ruled out. Thus there is ample towards the deformation of charge cloud of chemical scope of venturing for semi-empirical methods of evalu- systems under small perturbation encountered during ating global hardness of atoms. These ventures require chemical processes. Still there is another notion of hard- relying upon the fundamental nature of the hardness ness—the physical hardness’ originated in solid-state again—the holding power of the electron cloud by the condensed matter physics signifying the resistance of a chemical species. We [5] developed a semi-empirical structure towards deformation [21]. But in case of atoms, algorithm relating hardness with the radius of the atom. the chemical hardness and physical hardness have fun- We have suggested and evolved an algorithm of evaluat- damentally evolved with time to converge to the one and ing the global hardness of atoms presented below: single concept—the hardness in general. 7.2 Parr and Pearson [22] using the density functional the- a b (in eV) (3) ory [23,24] as basis, defined the term “absolute hardness, r η” as where r is the absolute ( most probable ) radius of atoms 22 in proper unit and a and b are constants. 12 E N (2) v We have computed the global hardness of 103 ele- Although the hardness was rigorously defined by Parr ments of the periodic table through the Equation (3) us- and Pearson [22], evaluation of accurate hardness value ing atomic radii computed by us [27]. Since the absolute of atoms through the rigorous theoretical calculation us- of atoms are periodic, the periodic nature of hardness is ing Equation (2) is not easy [25], because the numerical follows from Equation (3). method is the only route of evaluating global hardness of We have plotted the atomic hardness values, computed the atoms. Moreover, Reed [26] has pointed out that through the Equation (3), as a function of their atomic there is inherent mathematical inconsistency in evaluat- number in Figure 2 to demonstrate the periodic behaviour Figure 2. Plot of the hardness (eV) values of 103 elements of the periodic table as a function of their atomic number. Copyright © 2011 SciRes. JQIS 138 N. ISLAM ET AL. * of the atoms of the 103 elements of the periodic table. As a, b and n are the constant in a period. Thus the electronegativity is intimately connected to 4. Rationale of the Formulae of Evaluation its originator, the