Re: Peroidic Table (was exclusion principle which was electrons)

[Charles Bell <charbell@BELLSOUTH.NET>]

Thanks Larry,  the nuclei are football shaped and the atoms are round,
therefore atomic diameter is a good parameter for the atom. I stand corrected.

At 08:32 PM 11/15/2003, you wrote:
> Charles Bell wrote:
> > Uranium atoms are football shaped, not round.
> > I remember from the liquid drop model that Uranium and Plutonium and other
> > transuranics are football shaped and that when they absorb a neutron they
> > fission when the ends bulge out and form asymetrical smaller drops.
> > Diameter might not be  good parameter.
>
> Uranium *nuclei* (as well as the nuclei of other Lanthanides and
> Actinides) are "football shaped" prolate spheroids according to the
> Bohr-Wheeler liquid drop model.
>
> The shape of the uranium *atom* is determined by the outer electron
> shells and is as nearly spherical as smaller atoms.  Diameter should be
> as meaningful a parameter for uranium *atoms* as it is for smaller
> atoms.
>
> Best wishes,
>
> Larry
>
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> Larry Cartwright               Retired Physics Teacher
> <exit60@cablespeed.com>        Charlotte MI 48813 USA
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> "Information is not knowledge,
>  knowledge is not wisdom,
>  and wisdom is not foresight.
>  Each grows out of the other and we need them all."
>                                     (Arthur C. Clarke)
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~