effective nuclear charge

noun

The net nuclear charge that an electron in an atom experiences, after subtracting the nuclear charge shielded by other electrons.

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Meanings

nouneffective nuclear charge (plural effective nuclear charges)

plural effective nuclear charges

  1. chemistryThe net nuclear charge that an electron in an atom experiences, after subtracting the nuclear charge shielded by other electrons.

    On the other hand, many concepts on atomic structure (energy levels, ionization potentials, electronegativity of the elements, and so on) are discussed in terms of effective nuclear charges.

    1999 September, O. Sala, K. Araki, L. K. Noda, “A Procedure to Obtain the Effective Nuclear Charge from the Atomic Spectrum of Sodium”, in Journal of Chemical Education, volume 76, number 9, page 1269
Cite this entry
APA

effective nuclear charge. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/effective%20nuclear%20charge

MLA

“effective nuclear charge.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/effective%20nuclear%20charge. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “effective nuclear charge,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/effective%20nuclear%20charge.

Source: effective nuclear charge on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.